By Albertina Nakale
WINDHOEK – Monday’s motor vehicle accident involving minister Erkki Nghimtina and a truck occurred when Nghimtina tried to overtake the truck belonging to the Ministry of Works and Transport while there was oncoming traffic from the opposite direction.
“While overtaking the truck he hit the truck’s right tyre and lost control. His car overturned and the truck driver also lost control causing the truck to land in a ditch. The minister’s car is beyond repair and he was lucky to survive the accident,” said the Otjozondjupa Regional Police Deputy Commander, Deputy Commissioner Gerhard Uataurua Mavenjono.
Nghimtina, who is the Minister of Works and Transport, sustained serious injuries to his chest and was flown to the Roman Catholic Hospital in Windhoek where he is receiving medical attention.
The truck driver, who was identified as Simasiku Matongo, the son of Namibia’s late liberation icon, Greenwell Matongo, is being treated in the Otjiwarongo State Hospital. His condition was described as stable.
Nghimtina was first admitted to the Otjiwarongo Medi-Clinic before he was flown to Windhoek.
The accident occurred on Monday at around 17:30 some 33 kilometres from Otjiwarongo at the turn-off to Etunda fuel station towards Otavi.
According to eyewitnesses, Nghimtina was allegedly travelling with a bag stashed with cash. However, Deputy Commissioner Mavenjono declined to comment on the matter only saying the money is being held for safekeeping while while the minister recuperates.
“I wanted to talk to him about the money while in his Otjiwarongo hospital bed, but he was not interested in talking about the money. We have to concentrate on his health until he recovers. But the money is being safely kept,” he said.
Nghimtina was alone in his private XC 90 Volvo sport utility vehicle (SUV).
The truck which Nghimtina was attempting to overtake was transporting bags of maize meal to Tsumkwe for government’s drought relief programme.
Matongo who is stationed at Grootfontein was travelling with an unidentified occupant, who escaped with minor injuries and is also receiving medical attention in the same hospital.
Asked whether the minister was speeding during the accident, Mavenjono said, “There were no speed traps to determine whether he was speeding or not.”