2016-11-14Staff Report 2 "Windhoek - Former permanent secretary in the ministry of fisheries Ulitala Hiveluah was among 19 people that died over the weekend from various causes, according to information released by the Namibian police yesterday. Hiveluah died on Friday night in a freak road accident that also claimed the life of New Era Publication Corporation (NEPC) employee Brayn Tjombonde, as well as four other people. The six people died in a horrific collision on the Okahandja-Otjiwarongo road at around 20h30 on Friday night. Hiveluah was in a Toyota Fortuner driving towards Okahandja, while Tjombonde and five others were heading towards Otjiwarongo. All occupants of the Volkwagen (VW) Polo sedan died on the scene, the police said, while Hiveluah died shortly after while on the way to the hospital at Okahandja. Spokesperson of the Namibian police in Otjozondjupa Region, Warrant Officer Maureen Mbeha confirmed the names of the other deceased occupants of the VW sedan as 48-year-old Ruben Pienaar, a member of NamPol who was stationed at Epako police station in Omaheke Region, Werihongorera Kavari, 28, Prostasius Masaka, 28, and Basillius Bas Kgobetsi. Mbeha said Hiveluah was traveling with her son, who was driving the Toyota Fortuner at the time of the crash, while Pienaar, Kavari, Masaka, Kgobetsi and Tjombonde were travelling in a Volkswagen sedan. The collision occurred approximately 50 kilometres north of Okahandja on the B1 road. The son of Hiveluah was reported to be the only survivor of the accident. In an unrelated incident, a 38-year-old man was charged with murder after he allegedly shot his colleague in the early hours of Saturday morning following their company’s year-end party. The incident happened at a club in the Ausspannplatz area of Windhoek, where the deceased and the suspect had gone for an after-party in the company of some colleagues. The deceased was identified as 35-year-old Sheku Bonifatius Tjihepo. According to police spokesperson Slogan Matheus, the suspect, whose name cannot be released pending his appearance in court, drew a firearm and started shooting randomly and one of the bullets struck Tjihepo in the chest. He was pronounced dead on the scene. The suspect is expected to appear at Windhoek Magistrate’s Court today. In Omusati Region, a 17-year-old boy was struck by lighting and died on the spot on Friday evening. He was identified as Nelenge Simeon from Onepandulo Village in Etayi Constituency. “It is alleged that Simeon went to look for cattle around their grazing area and it started raining. The deceased was struck by lighting and died on the spot,” Matheus said. The police in Oshikoto opened a murder case after a nine-year-old boy died after he was allegedly asked by his six-year-old brother to cover his head in the sand. He suffocated and died as a result. The deceased was identified as Paulus Matheus. The incident occurred at Omayi Village in the Onghumbula area when the deceased and his sibling were playing outside their residence on Saturday evening. In total the police recorded 19 deaths over the weekend, including four murder and four suicide cases. Two other people died in a car accident, while there were three recorded unnatural deaths. – Additional reporting by Nampa" 2016-11-14Staff Report 2
