Prison can of worms

A former prison warder has opened a can of worms by claiming that correctional service officers are smuggling drugs, knives and cellphones into prisons. Jackson Rungondo (25), who fled Namibia after allegedly being threatened by prison and street gangs involved in the lucrative drug trade being run inside Namibia's prisons, says he is among the young officers that fell into the trap of smuggling contraband into prison. He says officers also assist undeserving offenders get out of prison by furnishing wrong information for parole and remission assessments. The board handling remissions and paroles receives recommendations from prison section heads, which are recorded on a daily basis. The behaviour of inmates towards warders and other prisoners is recorded, which is open to abuse by some officials who lie about the good behaviour of some inmates. Rungondo is currently seeking asylum in Europe after resigning from correctional services, where says he was involved in smuggling in contraband for inmates at the Oluno correctional facility while working there for three years. Rungondo was appointed as a warder on 29 April 2015, after completing his training at the Lucius Sumbwanyambe Mahoto correctional service training college. The NCS has confirmed that Rungondo was an employee. Its spokesperson Laimi Hainghumbi also said that since March 2018, 13 cases of correctional services officers smuggling contraband into the Windhoek, Gobabis, Oluno, Walvis Bay, Hardap and Kavango West (Elizabeth Nepemba) correctional facilities have been reported. Young officers are increasingly falling into the traps set by prison gangs, and when they are caught, they resign or are dismissed from work if found guilty. Rungondo said the risky activity of smuggling in contraband is a profitable industry for junior officers, who often work years without being promoted. He told Namibian Sun that when regret starting settled in, it was already too late, as he had become part and parcel of prison gang smuggling activities. “As a young officer I was subdued by these gangs of criminals using me every day to smuggle cellphones, knives and drugs into the correctional facility, with some payments made to me. “I was not so happy being used, as I knew I was breaching the prison rules and as an officer I was also breaching my oath of office to be a loyal and law-abiding citizen of the republic of Namibia,” Rungondo said. He attempted to stop, but the prison gangs threatened his life and those of his family. “I regret being part of this and in 2017, having realised that I was risking my job after people became suspicious at work, I attempted to stop assisting the offenders, but I could not succeed. “The inmates involved in the G7 prison gang threatened my life and my family. I started suffering from stress. “I even attempted suicide several times and at one point I went to seek psychological help at a local social worker.” This did not help, as the criminal syndicate that was supplying drugs to prisoners in exchange for cash continued threaten him. They said they would kill him or burn his car if he stopped. “It later happened that my Mazda 6 was burnt at a house where I was renting in Ondangwa. I continued with the dealings, but I was fearing my life and that of my family, due to these gang-related smuggling stories. I did not know where to seek refuge, and work became a very risky environment,” Rungondo said. He said it was a devastating experience and he could not report the matter to the police, because he feared the gangs would find out, and that he could easily be killed at work or in public. He said even being transferred to another facility was not an option, as these prison gangs operate in all 13 correctional facilities across the country. They also smuggle illegal items from prison to prison. Rungondo said the situation worsened when two female correctional officers at Oluno were arrested, charged and fired from work in 2018 for smuggling. “It turned out that the one female officer was used for a longer period of time by the gang of criminals to smuggle cellphones, marijuana and cocaine into the correctional facility, the same way I was being used. “In another incident that same year, another female correctional officer was fired from her job after she was found guilty of smuggling in contraband. This officer got married to an ex-offender who was released in 2018 on remission of sentence.” Rungondo said in February 2018 he resigned from his work under the pretext him going to further his studies at a local university. “When the gangs later found out that I resigned and there was nowhere they could be find me around Ondangwa, they went on a hunt for me through my family members. That year my brother escaped an attack by a gang in Tsumeb. “After that I went to seek refuge in Zambia, where I eventually secured a flight to Europe, where I am currently living. I fear returning home due to threats from prison gangs as well as street gangs who threatened my life in Namibia,” Rungondo added.ILENI NANDJATO

Prison can of worms

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-07

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Prison can of worms

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-07

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