John Muyamba
Rundu-The body of 37-year-old Tjimbinde Aluselisms Ndumba from Sauyemwa was last Friday found floating in the Kavango river near the floating bridge that links Rundu with the Angolan village Calai, which is opposite Rundu.
The body of the deceased, who was said to be a mentally disturbed, was found at 09h00 on Friday by an Angolan policeman who was at the bridge, after he sensed a rancid smell of rotting flesh and spotted the corpse stuck under the bridge. The body had no private parts when it was found, although the eyes and other parts were intact.
New Era was informed by the police that the deceased was reported to have left home on April 3 at around 04h00, but never returned home. “He was mentally disturbed. We are investigating the case and we are awaiting the post mortem results to see the cause of death,” said Deputy Commissioner Willie Bampton, the regional crime coordinator.
However, this is not the first time a body had been discovered stuck at the floating bridge. In April last year, the body of an unidentified man, who was believed to be between the ages of 30 and 40 years, was found floating in the Kavango River next to the same bridge, with some private parts also missing.
That gruesome find sent shockwaves through the town as some residents who spoke to New Era were stunned beyond belief as they strongly believed the man’s private parts had been hacked off – possibly by ritual killers – who they say “use human body parts in black magic concoctions thought to multiply the riches of run-of-the mill businesses”.
Residents that spoke to this reporter at the time said the body was found or noticed by a person who was crossing the bridge, after he too had sniffed the stench of rotting flesh. He got curious about where the stench was emanating from and to his horror discovered the dead body stuck under the bridge.