By Rinelda Mouton
Raised under strict Christian norms and values, and believing in hard work, Anna-Rosa Katjivena-Victor, Deputy Commissioner-General of the Namibian Correctional Service, got to where she is today through discipline, dedication and service.
Katjivena-Victor has held the position since 2014, overseeing the administrative and institutional backbone that allows the Correctional Service to function, while never losing sight of its core mandate: the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders back into society.
Q: Tell us more about yourself and life growing up?
A: I was born in Omaruru. From the age of two, I moved to Opuwo, the then Kaokoland, where I was raised by my elder sister and her husband, Arnoldt and Erna Hindjou. I was raised under strict Christian norms and values. I schooled at St. Michael, a Roman Catholic boarding school near Outjo, up to Standard 5. I then moved to Waldfrieden Girls School, also a Roman Catholic school, for my Standard 6. For high school, I moved to Dobra High School, where I finished my Grade 12 in 1988.
Q: Growing up, did you picture yourself living the life you are living now?
A: Not exactly in this form, but I did grow up with a strong sense of service. Coming from a home that welcomed everyone, including family, neighbours and returning exiles, instilled in me early on a desire to care for and support others. Social work, and later this role in the Correctional Service, has simply been the natural extension of the values I was raised with. I never dreamed of the title of Deputy Commissioner-General as a girl in Opuwo, but service to my country and my people always was.
Q: How did you get into this occupation?
A: My path started in social work. I joined government service in 1994 as a Social Worker in the Ministry of Health and Social Services, working in the Directorate of Social Services, including time in the Women and Child Protection Unit. In 2002, I moved into the Namibian Correctional Service as a Control Social Worker, where I focused on development programmes, rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders. From there, I was promoted through the ranks, becoming Head of Community Corrections, Head of the Division of Employee Assistance Programmes, and eventually Deputy Commissioner in 2009, before being appointed Deputy Commissioner-General in 2014.
Q: In Namibia, is it mainly men in this position? As a woman, what are some of the challenges that you are faced with?
A: Correctional Services, like many security and law enforcement institutions, has historically been male-dominated, particularly at senior leadership levels. As a woman in this space, one has to work to be heard, to be taken seriously on matters of strategy, budget and institutional reform, and not simply on matters seen as “soft.” There is also the ongoing balancing act between the demands of a senior leadership role, long hours, high accountability, difficult decisions, and one’s responsibilities at home. But I have never allowed these challenges to define my ceiling. I have earned my place through competence, consistency and integrity.
Q: What does doing this job mean to you?
A: This job means service to the officers I lead, to the offenders in our care, and to the nation at large. Every policy I help shape, every directorate I oversee, ultimately affects whether someone leaving our correctional facilities returns to society as a rehabilitated, productive citizen, rather than someone who reoffends. That responsibility is not one I take lightly.
Q: How has doing this job helped to better your life?
A: It has given me purpose, discipline and a deep sense of gratitude. Over more than 30 years of public service, I have grown from a young social worker into someone entrusted with corporate leadership at a national level. It has sharpened my strategic thinking, tested my resilience, and taught me the value of ethical governance. It has also allowed me to give back meaningfully and to be part of institutional reform that outlasts any one individual.
Q: How do you like to spend your free time?
A: I am very much a homebound person at heart. I enjoy farm life and spending time with family. But first and foremost, I like spending time with God, and I love reading Christian books. God is my rock, the best giver of unconditional love and my protector. And now that I have a sweet granddaughter, she is my brightest shining star. Free time, for me, is simple: faith, family and the farm.
Q: What type of person would you describe yourself as?
A: I would describe myself as disciplined, principled and results-driven, but also deeply caring. I believe in leading with integrity and humility, values instilled in me since childhood, while remaining firm and decisive where firmness is required. I take my responsibilities, both to my institution and to the people I serve, very seriously.
Q: What advice do you have for other women?
A: Know your worth and let your competence speak for itself. Do not wait for spaces to be made for you; walk in prepared, work with integrity, and let consistency build your reputation over time. Balance is possible, but it requires discipline and a strong support system. And never lose the humility and respect you were raised with; they will carry you further than titles ever will.
Q: Getting where you are today has not been easy. How did you do it?
A: Through more than 30 years of consistent, dedicated public service, starting as a Social Worker in 1994 and steadily rising through positions of increasing responsibility. I built my career on competence, ethical conduct and a genuine commitment to the people I served, whether as a frontline social worker or in the boardroom today. I also credit the strong foundation laid by my upbringing, discipline, humility and faith, which carried me through the harder days.
Q: Anything else that you would like to add?
A: I remain deeply grateful to the Namibian Correctional Service, the mentors and leaders who guided me, and my family for the foundation they gave me. I hope my journey, from a young girl raised in Opuwo to Deputy Commissioner-General, encourages other women, especially those in public service, that steady, principled work will always be recognised.
