Many offenders come out reformed from the rehabilitation centres. 

However, some struggle to be accepted by society after release, which pushes them into despair. 

One such person facing this predicament is Windhoek's Katutura resident, Petrus Mayunda (53), who did stints as an inmate at the Windhoek Correctional Facility in 2017. 

His offence was dealing in drugs, but he was released later.

Reintegration into society, however, can feel like an impossible task due to community judgement, and Mayunda faced the same when he was eventually released into society.

Mayunda found the going tough, and he reoffended.

The former offender was known by his nickname "General", and he narrated that by the time he was incarcerated, gangsterism was rife behind bars.

He ended up being recruited into the notorious number of gangs that originated in South Africa.

Prison, as it was previously called, was not as posh as it is today, he adds.

He says he attended programmes and training courses in the correctional facility to boost his chances of early release.

Upon his last release five years ago, he felt the pinch of society's hard and uncomfortable stare. 

He bemoans the lack of care from parole officers. 

Mayunda, who was first arrested as a 15-year-old, has a message for teenagers who think it is cool to be part of a gang.

He took a swipe at Correctional Services for mixing juvenile offenders with hardened criminals.

Applying for a job is another impediment for a convicted person.

Mayunda, who lives with his partner of 17 years, has five children, with the youngest being six months old. 

All he asks of society is to be accepted; this, he says, creates a conducive environment for him to thrive and be fully part of it. 

He also pleads with the government to assist former offenders with setting up small businesses, specifically targeting former inmates. 

When he is not collecting and selling bottles to feed his family, he does motivational talks with youth, criminals, and sex workers with the message that crime does not pay.

Lack of transport hinders this mercy operation, where he also gets mocked and told that he should first uplift himself and why he is not rich.

But this, he says, makes his will stronger to not re-offend, as he no longer wants to be a resident of the infamous Windhoek Correctional Facility.