Africa-Press – Namibia. Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) commissioner general Raphael Hamunyela says he is taking the blame for Saturday’s accident at Mariental where 14 officers and two civilians died.
Some facility officers say they have raised concerns over allegedly being transported in overloaded vehicles with the facility’s management before.
Investigations into what caused the accident are ongoing, as there is no known cause currently, the police say.
Hamunyela says NCS management had been working to address concerns of overloading workers in some vehicles before the accident already.
“I ask the nation to forgive me, the families to forgive me and everybody else. I ask God to also forgive me, because he is the one who put me here with this responsibility. But, let everyone help me to improve,” he told The Namibian on Tuesday.
The general said he was informed by the officer in charge that he once saw 12 officers getting out of a pick-up and that he walked to them and told them never again to exceed the carrying capacity of six people.
“My officers in charge noted the situation and has been addressing it. But the members are telling us that the drivers tell them to either jump in or be left behind,” Hamunyela said.
He said on Saturday, both the mini-van and the bus were available, but the driver chose the pick-up.
“These accidents are making me lose vehicles like flies. Accidents, accidents, accidents. We are monitoring fuel and distance to gauge speeding, but these things are happening.”
Hamunyela acknowledged the lack of security vans countrywide and said it is true that officers sometimes sit in the back of a pick-up with inmates as they don’t have double-cab vehicles either.
“Imagine a place like Omaruru Correctional Facility. They transport people to court from Omaruru to Otjiwarongo, Outjo, and Khorixas in one day. You need officers to remain at the towns with inmates, and that is how they end up together,” he said.
Hamunyela said the government has decided to build villages around correctional facilities for employees.
He said Windhoek has started with the project and that this would be completed as soon as finances and land become available.
“In Hardap’s case there is enough land to build. It will be for about 400 people. But their children would still be transported to schools, because you can’t build a school there.”
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