Raphael Hamunyela

Commissioner General Raphael Tuhafeni Hamunyela was born on 06 April1969 In Eeshoke village, Ohangwena Region, Northern part of Namibia. He grew up in Eeshoke and attended primary school at Oshlkango Combined school until standard four. In 1985, he completed standard five at Engela and moved to llpumbu Secondary School for standards six, seven and eight. In 1988, while in standard eight, he left the country and joined the Namibian liberation Struggle in Angola. In 1990, after the country’s Independence, he returned to school and completed standard eight, nine and ten at St Mary’s Odibo High School at Onekwaya West.

He joined the Namibian Correctional Service on 01 September 1994 as a prison warder. He worked in many areas within the organisation, I.e., guarding, logistics and the section Head. In 1998, he was promoted to Senior Prison Officer, responsible for Personnel Office at Grootfonteln Prison. In 2001, he was promoted to the rank of Chief Prison Officer and transferred to Hardap Prison, the second largest Prison In the country, as a Staff Discipline Officer.

In 2006, he was transferred to the Correctional Service Headquarters in Windhoek In the legal office as he registered for law at the University of Namibia. He obtained a Bachelor of Laws Degree In 2008 and a Bachelor of Laws Honors Degree In 2010. He was promoted to the rank of Superintendent In the Legal office in 2009 and later to the rank of Assistant Commissioner, responsible for Staff Discipline Division In the same year. In 2012, he was promoted to a rank of Deputy Commissioner General, Corporate Management. In 2013, he obtained a Diploma in Public Administration and Management at Institute of Development Management in Gaborone, Botswana. On 01 February 2014, he was appointed as the Commissioner General of the Namibian Correctional Service. He has carried forward a commitment to developing the Namibian Correctional Service as the best performing correctional service in Africa, dedicated to a progressive reintegration-oriented philosophy.