RUNDU – Two men drowned at Rundu beach on Friday when a fun outing with friends went awry.
The Easter deaths bring to 32 the number of people who have drowned at the beach in recent years, according to sources.
The incident occurred last Friday at 16h00, when the two deceased Victor Mekondjo, age unknown, and Nashikaku Junie Jagaluka, aged 25, were on a visit to Rundu from Walvis Bay.
“The body of Victor Mekondjo was recovered by the police the next day, on Saturday morning, while the body of Nashikaku Jagaluka was only recovered by the police today (Monday),” confirmed Detective Chief Inspector Ewald Kavara the spokesman for the Kavango East police. Both bodies were taken to the Rundu hospital mortuary and the next of kin of the two deceased were informed.
During an interview with the town’s CEO Romanus Haironga last December when a six-year-old boy drowned at the beach, he said the town council did not have immediate plans to deploy lifeguards over the next five years.
Haironga said the town council was still to plan having river/life guards and the strategic plan for the next five years did not make provision for life/river guards.
However the community wants the town council to look into the issue of recruiting life guards who could respond to emergencies at the beach.
The high noise pollution from Rundu beach is also said to have an adverse effect on lodges in the immediate vicinity and some tourists have hinted they may never reside in those lodges if the town does not put measures in place to control noisy partying on the beach.