ABSTRACT
Namibia, known as South West Africa (SWA) until 1990, was formally colonized by Germany in 1884. On 29 September 1978, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 435, which resolution was eventually implemented in 1989, and on 21 March 1990, Namibia received its independence from South Africa (SA). With independence, a substantial complement of Prisons Service staff left Namibia and returned to SA. The name of the Prisons Service also changed from the SWA Prisons Service to the Namibian Prisons Service. More prisons have also been established in Namibia, with the ostensible aim being differentiation of treatment: for example, the Elizabeth Nepemba Juvenile Centre in Rundu and the Divundu Open Farm Prison. The policy of prison labour in Namibia is rooted in the country’s colonial history, in terms of which black prisoners served as a reservoir of cheap unskilled labour for white farmers.
