Maria David
THE Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security has officially launched the rollout of the Community Service Orders programme to the Lüderitz Magistrates’ Court and the Aus Periodical Court on Thursday.
Deputy Minister Lucia Witbooi said this is a transformative initiative that aims to create positive change within the community.
According to Witbooi, the idea was to reduce congestion in correctional facilities through the initiative of establishing Community Service Orders.
She indicated that the practice of Community Service Orders in Namibia started with a pilot project in the northern regions of Oshana, Kunene, Zambezi, Kavango East, and Kavango West in 2006.
“Those regions were selected for demographic purposes as a result of their population densities. I am proud to share that the issuing of Community Service Orders has since become operational in all 14 political regions,” she said.
Thus far, the programme has been rolled out to 58 of the 71 targeted courts nationwide, representing an 81.7% completion rate as per the Ministry’s Strategic Plan.
She stressed that the Ministry is committed to covering the remaining 13 courts by the end of the 2027/2028 financial year.
Meanwhile, Commissioner General of the Namibian Correctional Service, Raphael Hamunyela, indicated that since the full involvement of the Namibian Correctional Service in the programme in 2010, a total of 3,537 offenders had been sentenced to Community Service by 28 February 2025.
Of that number, 89.7% had successfully completed their orders by that date, while 303 had breached their sentencing conditions.
He said that 62 were still fulfilling their sentences.
He said that out of the 80 offenders who breached their sentencing conditions in the last three years alone, 58 were apprehended. While the arrest rates could surely improve, these statistics highlight the programme’s success in ensuring that those not complying with their release conditions are brought to book.
