Two Otjiwarongo management committee councillors resign


OTJIWARONGO: Two local authority councillors of the Otjiwarongo Municipality resigned from their positions at the Otjiwarongo Municipality’s management committee last week.

The two are Gideon Iiyambo of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) and Sebetius Guiteb of the Landless People’s Movement (LPM).

Guiteb was a full member of the management committee, while Iiyambo served as an additional member.

They now remain ordinary council members as of 08 February 2024.

They allegedly resigned after a lengthy disagreement between each other over the recruitment process of the Otjiwarongo Chief Executive Officer (CEO), which ended up interviewing one male candidate out of 47 applicants who applied for the position.

The Otjiwarongo CEO position has been vacant since July 2023 after Moses Matyayi left for greener pastures at the City of Windhoek.

Chairperson of the management committee at Otjiwarongo, Godhardt Hoko in an interview with Nampa on Sunday afternoon said he is aware of Iiyambo and Guiteb’s resignat
ions.

‘In their resignation letters they only cited a broken working trust, as well as their personal reasons as grounds for their resignations,’ said Hoko.

Hoko denied accusations of him bending requirements that led to only one candidate who made it to the interview on the position of CEO on 10 February 2024 at Otjiwarongo.

Hoko said there is nothing sinister for the panel to interview one candidate on the position, adding that it is a normal practice at the municipality.

Mayor Gottlieb Shivute on his part on Monday morning said the two councillors have been already replaced by councillor Ernst Muraranganda of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), who will serve on the committee as a full member, together with Hilde Jesaja and Hoko.

Jesaja, Shivute, Hoko and deputy mayor Julienda Kampungu are all from the Swapo Party.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Teenager allegedly drowns at Okafitu kaShipopyeni


OSHAKATI: A 16-year-old boy, identified as Kamati Paulus, allegedly drowned in a pond at Okafitu kaShipopyeni village in the Omusati Region.

The Namibian Police Force (NamPol)’s Crime Investigation Coordinator for the region, Moses Simaho, confirmed this to Nampa on Monday, saying that the incident occurred at around 22h28 on Sunday.

‘The deceased allegedly notified his siblings that he is going to take a bath at the water pond at around the afternoon hours. However, the parents noticed that the deceased did not return home until the evening hours and this prompted the family to search for him at the pond,’ he said.

He added that they later found the deceased’s trouser, backpack and sandals near the pond with visible footprint heading into the water.

Simaho indicated that after searching in the water, the deceased’s body was found.

No foul play is suspected and the body is kept at Outapi State Hospital’s Mortuary and will be transported to Okahao Police mortuary for a post-mortem.

Police investigation i
nto the matter continues.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Woman allegedly stabs, kills boyfriend at Olumbongo


OLUMBONGO: The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) in Oshikoto region has opened a case of murder against a 38-year-old woman after she reportedly stabbed her 28-year-old boyfriend with a screwdriver.

According to the region’s crime update issued by Chief Inspector of Community Affairs, Ellen Nehale-Kangulu on Sunday, the incident happened on Saturday at King Service Station at 03h00 in Olumbongo in the Oniipa Constituency.

The deceased was identified as Samuel Amutengela Tuhafeni from Oshampula village in Okankolo Constituency in Oshikoto region and a case of murder read with a provision of domestic violence has been opened against the suspect.

‘It is alleged that the deceased was a driver of a taxi that belongs to the suspect, who is the girlfriend and this happened when he arrived home late and drunk at around 03h00 and found his girlfriend sleeping,’ she said.

Nehale further reported that the suspect then allegedly confronted the deceased about the whereabouts of her car and asked for the car keys, which h
e then gave the keys and the suspect walked to the service station where the car was parked, thereafter the deceased followed her carrying an empty beer bottle.

Nehale reported that at the service station, the pair allegedly argued again and the deceased started smashing the car windows with an empty bottle then he grabbed the screwdriver from the car and attempted to stab the suspect who overpowered him, took the screwdriver stabbed him once on the neck.

‘The deceased was taken to Onandjokwe State Hospital, where he was declared dead upon arrival,’ reported Nehale.

Nehale further reported that the suspect has been arrested.

Police investigations in the matter continue.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Pedestrian hit and killed at Ongwediva


OSHAKATI: A pedestrian was hit and killed by a white Toyota Auris sedan on Sunday night.

The deceased was identified as Immanuel Alfred Natuumbeni, a resident of Elyambala village in Ongwediva.

The Namibian Police Force Oshana Regional Commander, Commissioner Naftal Lungameni Sakaria said the incident occurred around 23h00 at a traffic light in Ongwediva.

‘It is alleged that the driver of a motor vehicle with Windhoek registration was driving from Ongwediva towards Oshakati and bumped the pedestrian that was crossing the road. The victim died at the scene,’ he said.

Sakaria indicated that the 23-year-old suspect was tested for alcohol and arrested. He faces charges of culpable homicide and driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

The deceased body was transported to the Oshakati police mortuary, next of kin were informed and investigations continue.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Kalompo-Nashikaku opens police diving course at Lake Otjikoto


LAKE OTJIKOTO: Namibian Police Force (NamPol) Oshikoto Regional Commander, Theopoline Kalompo-Nashikaku has encouraged police officers to remain mentally and physically fit, so as to confront the challenges of this world head-on.

Kalompo-Nashikaku during the official opening of a five-week Diving Training Course 1, for police officers on Monday at Lake Otjikoto near Tsumeb, said the officers should take proper care of their social life and habits as they are expected to dive in very dark waters with little visibility, as well as in very dangerous places such as caves, dams, and the ocean.

She said that by investing in specialised training such as the diving course, they will reaffirm their commitment to staying at the forefront of law enforcement practices, ensuring that they are prepared for any situation that may arise.

Kalompo-Nashikaku called on the 15 officers participating in the course to take it seriously by committing to all activities of the course, demonstrating a high standard of discipline at
all times, listening very attentively, and paying attention to their instructors to prevent any accidents or eventualities.

Diving instructor at Orbit Technology Holdings, Ingo Hasse, who is facilitating the course said the skills acquired will equip the officers to be safe divers when they fulfil their duties back at their stations.

The intensive programme, he said will cover swimming and water training, before proceeding with diving.

Hasse said that he would transfer his knowledge of safe diving to the police officers even though diving is quite a complicated technical aspect of basically doing safe diving in any environment.

‘I will supervise and do the qualification with the help of existing NamPol divers, and we will start with the practical test at Lake Otjikoto and then go to the Erongo Region for some sea diving and thereafter lake diving in the vicinity of Rehoboth,’ said Hasse.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Man dies in hit-and-run incident


TSUMEB: The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) in the Oshikoto Region has reported that an unknown man has succumbed to injuries he sustained in an alleged hit-and-run incident on the Tsumeb-Oshivelo road.

According to the region’s Community Affairs Chief, Inspector Ellen Nehale-Kangulu, the incident happened on Sunday around 04h00 on the B1 road about six kilometres outside of Tsumeb.

‘It is alleged that the driver of a Quantum motor vehicle who noticed a body lying on the road while travelling from Tsumeb towards Oshivelo, stopped to investigate and discovered that the person had been run over by an unidentified vehicle,’ she said.

Nehale-Kangulu said the victim who was still alive with multiple fractures was transported to the Tsumeb State Hospital for medical attention but died shortly after.

The deceased’s nationality and next of kin are currently unknown and the body is kept at the Tsumeb State Hospital mortuary for a post-mortem to be conducted, she said.

Investigations continue.

Source: The Namibia
Press Agency