Dalene Kooper
Mulisa Simiyasa
KEETMANSHOOP – Grief-stricken families, friends and community members gathered over the weekend to pay respect to victims of the tragic Workers’ Day accident that claimed 11 lives and left communities in the Kunene region in mourning at Kamanjab.
Victoria Kaunotje and her children, Karaerua Zaongara and Tunaune Zaongara, were buried at Kamanjab over the weekend. Some of the victims were buried on Saturday.
Religious leaders of the region were also called to attend the prayer session at the scene, which was situated about 30 kilometres south of Otjiwarongo on the Otjiwarongo-Okahandja B1 road.
It was at this scene where the government bus in which the 11 were travelling had hit a kudu, veered to the right lane and collided head-on with the oncoming truck. Due to the impact, the bus burst into flames. That morning, four occupants were ejected, while eight burnt beyond recognition in the bus.
The identification process in this type of incident takes time, as it involves police forensic investigations in the capital. Laboratory tests are being performed to confirm the identities.
The accident, which occurred on 1 May along the B1 road near Otjiwarongo, sent shockwaves through the country after a passenger bus carrying passengers was involved in a fatal collision.
The victims included hospital staff, young people and parents, whose deaths have left families devastated. Speaking to New Era, Andrew Kaunotje, a brother and uncle of three victims from the crash, described the incidents as a great loss. His sister, Victoria Kaunotje, along with her two children, perished in the recent bus accident. “My sister was a godly person. She stayed to herself and did not have issues with other people. She was a very soft-hearted person,” said Kaunotje. He shared that he and his sister were the closest of all the siblings. He will take his sister’s oldest daughter into care. “We called her ‘Maa’ because she was the gentlest of us,” the brother said.
He expressed gratitude toward the Kunene governor’s office and the health ministry for the moral and psychological support his family has received since the incident.
“We are very grateful, especially to the governor’s office and the community. They are contributing each in their ways,” Kaunotje said.
Chairperson of the Kamanjab Village Council and relative to the deceased, Samora Katjau, said it is hurtful to lose people in car accidents.
“Our hearts are not rested yet. Victoria was a responsible person. She was an asset to the community. Her children, the future of this country, could have been leaders or entrepreneurs, but we lost them to a car accident,” Katjau said. He called for stronger laws to regulate road safety in Namibia.
“As a country, we need to adjust our laws to regulate the rise of car accidents. We are losing people in the blink of an eye,” Katjau said.
The memorial
What is more, the decision by residents of Khorixas to regroup Wednesday at the local sports field for a mass memorial service helped soothe the broken hearts of family members of the road accident victims.
Their plan to regroup and hold a public memorial service for the 11 deceased on Wednesday united them in grief, as many had earlier missed out on joining a one-kilometre street procession. From midday towards sunset, the family members, friends, neighbours and local politicians were able to sing and greet each other, thanking one another for their coming together.
Religious leaders, through sermons and Bible stories, were central to comforting the bereaved community. The pastors told them to emulate the example of Job, who, they recounted, had lost his seven daughters, three sons, thousands of livestock and also his health when Satan tested his faith in God.
“The situation we are faced with today is similar to that of the blameless Job, who persisted in high hopes for better days. We lost six school-going children, two mothers, two nurses and a hard-working driver of the Khorixas District Hospital. This loss makes our situation not far from Job,” Bishop Chris Gallant recited. Mayor Lesley Awaseb called on the mourners to support each other, saying everyone’s spirit was crushed by the tragedy.
“I personally knew the victims by their names,” he said. The families joined Awaseb to display framed photographs of the deceased.
The three staff members of the Ministry of Health and Social Services are driver Metusalem Kamendu (54), registered nurse Rebekka Kasheeta (32) and enrolled nurse Martha Hangolonde (28).
The other accident victims were Ritha Jod (18), Lazarus Hamutenya (9), Nicoline Eises (34), Elsario Nanuseb (11), Geraldo Haraeb (13), Kanoutje (45), Zaongara (13) and Mervin Zaongara (17).
Learners
All the learners were from schools in Khorixas. Jod was a Grade 10 learner at Welwitchia Junior Secondary School (JSS), while Mervin was in Grade 10 and Teyana in Grade 8 at Cornelius Goreseb Senior Secondary School.
Haraseb was in Grade 6 and !Naruseb in Grade 4 at !Gaeb Primary School.
Hamutenya was a Grade 4 learner at Welwitchia Primary School. Kunene regional education director Sophia Frederick said losing such a big team of future leaders is traumatising. She said she does not know how to convey the message to the schoolmates when schools reopens – many chairs are vacant. Biographies of the deceased were read by Dr Given Frederick, joined by Khorixas Town Council CEO Andreas ||Howoseb.
Kunene governor Vipuakujue Muharukua encouraged the community to regain their strength and carry one another until all the victims are laid to rest. He further pledged assistance to the bereaved families, including making it possible for them to travel and attend a prayer session to be held at the accident site.
Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services Suzan Ndjaleka, who attended the memorial at Khorixas on behalf of the government, conveyed heartfelt condolences of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Vice President Lucia Witbooi and Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare. She said, through the capable leadership of these leaders, the government will do everything possible to support the affected families in coping with the effects of the tragic loss. She said, even though the deceased are from different places – Omuthiya constituency, Windhoek, Fransfontein, Rehoboth, Kamanjab and Khorixas – hopes are high that all the due processes will be completed soon.
-additional reporting by Nampa