Phillemon Mpande Cipacika Rengi is a civil servant at the forefront of government’s commitment to rehabilitate and reintegrate offenders back into the community, and make them law-abiding and productive citizens
upon release.
Rengi is a senior superintendent in the education section under the rehabilitation and reintegration division at the Namibian Correctional Services (NCS).
He maintained that knowledge and skills imparted to individual offenders through education and training
programmes have been proving successful in reducing crime and re-offending.
It also contributes to the “individual well-being of offenders, boosts self-confidence, self-esteem, confidence and self-respect.
“Upon their release, we noticed most ex-offenders who were exposed to well-structured correctional education programmes have desisted from crime, while some of them are furthering their education at institutes of higher learning.
“The sight of seeing an offender enrol
for a tertiary qualification abroad is fulfilling. These are people with limited resources, but we try to assist them in their studies,” he stated.
Born and raised in a rural village called Katope in Kavango West, Rengi got his first taste of the civil service shortly after obtaining his first degree in education. He started working as a teacher, and joined the NCS in 2019.
“As I was growing up, I was impressed by my acquaintances who were in the NCS, and I followed suit. Working for the government means serving your people. I love serving people. It’s a privilege to work for your country in your country.
“The pleasure of rendering a service to your own people is second to none. For our country to be on par with developed nations, public service should be at its best. And I have always wanted to be part of it! Growing up, I was inspired by my many teachers who taught me, and this was a motivation for me to work for the government one day. It’s not a coincidence that I find myself here today,” he noted.
Rengi is committed to serve in the public service for many more years. When asked for how long, he said: “Every service rendered under the sun is public. Asking me ‘how long’ is the same as asking when I will stop working! I am not stopping anytime soon. I still have enough energy to serve Namibia”.
Being a senior superintendent, he is part of the team responsible for implementing the Namibian Correctional Services Offenders Education Policy, and sees to it that education services are provided to the offenders to help in their rehabilitation and reintegration process back into the community as law-abiding citizens.
“The mandate of the Namibian Correctional Services is to protect the public, while assisting offenders to prepare for a law-abiding return to the community. Our role as head of the education division within the correctional services is to accurately assess the risks and needs of offenders, and exercise a risk management response such as custody, programming
and structured community support,” he added.
He said although he is a passionate educator, dealing with offenders might be challenging. “I always want to give you the best all the time, but sometimes the environment may restrict me. Working with offenders means you have to wear your psychology at all times to treat their symptoms, so they become better citizens after their release” he observed.
Rengi is a teacher by profession, and holds a degree in education from Unam as well as a Master’s degree in Curriculum Studies from the Midlands State University in Zimbabwe.
“Coming from an educational background as a teacher, my expertise in the field of education is acknowledged by the NCS. I assisted spearheading educational programmes at the facility in helping offenders attend to their educational needs. We also visit schools through our outreach program to sensitise learners on social ills such as alcohol and drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and crime”, he continued.
He said it is satisfying to render service to a person who has four walls around him, “knowing very well that if we cannot help, or assist, no one else will do it. It leaves me at ease and peace to assist someone who has limited options”.
When asked to note some of the work-related accomplishments, Rengi, the author of a book titled Hope in Broken Dreams released last year, said “as uniformed personnel, to provide service during the Covid-19 pandemic was memorable. It was a very difficult period for me, but the welfare of the people we serve must be put first”.
Public misconception
With regards to the public misconception that people working in public institutions are unproductive and inefficient, he had a ready answer. “In any setting, any institution, you will find employees who are riding on complacency, ignorance, misbehaving, etc. You will also find those that are truly delivering at the same time.
“Where there is a congregation of trees, branches and leaves are likely to brush against each other and result in some misunderstanding. Any institution is not immune to such misconceptions.
“To comb everyone with the same brush is unfair. The public service is characterised by highly-trained and professional people who provide service to the masses. That’s why it’s important to remind ourselves of our duties and responsibilities in the service to kill off that misconception” he reasoned.
On his wish list, Rengi wants to grow professionally. “I want to read as many books as I can, obtain as many papers as possible, and inject the knowledge back into the community. We can only become better through acquiring the right knowledge, understanding it and the application thereof,” he said.