Martha Gabriel 

WINDHOEK - At least four people died this past weekend in car accidents involving unlicensed drivers. In one of the accidents, an unlicensed driver reportedly lost control of a Toyota pickup while trying to overtake another vehicle on the Opuwo-Kaoko Otavi gravel road in the Kunene Region. 

The accident resulted in the loss of two lives. According to the police report, the other vehicle occupants were seriously injured and transported to a nearby hospital for medical attention. 

A case of culpable homicide and driving a motor vehicle without a driver’s licence was opened and police investigations continue. In a similar incident, a vehicle, which was being operated by an unlicensed driver, overturned on the Berseba-Gainachas gravel road outside Tses at the weekend. The accident left one passenger dead and one seriously injured. 

A case of culpable homicide and driving a motor vehicle without a valid driver’s licence was registered against the motorist. 

An unlicensed driver allegedly killed a man and injured two others when he crashed into a group of mechanics with a reportedly stolen vehicle in Karibib on Friday. 

The deceased was identified as Mabasen Awaseb, a Swakopmund resident. Briefing the media on Saturday, Deputy Commissioner Erastus Iikuyu of the Erongo police said the suspect took the car without the owner’s consent and drove off. He first crashed the vehicle into a stationary car that was being worked on by Awaseb and others, before hitting a nearby shack. 

According to Iikuyu, the suspect allegedly took the vehicle while the owner was resting outside the vehicle.