One of two men who drowned in the Orange River at Noordoewer last week remains missing, while the second body has not yet been returned to Namibia from South Africa.
||Kharas regional police commander Marius Katamila has told The Namibian that Eugen Mbereshu’s body has not been recovered, while Hausiku Shikukutu’s body was recovered on the South African side of the river.
He says the relevant authorities had been informed and arrangements to bring Shikukutu’s body back to Namibia are underway.
The two men reportedly drowned while travelling by canoe towards South Africa after they spotted South African authorities and attempted to flee. A third man survived the incident.
Katamila says rumours circulating in the community escalated into violence. He says the man who survived the drowning was assaulted by relatives of one of the deceased.
“Community members also damaged state property during the unrest,” Katamila says.
He says he could not confirm the claims circulating in the community, adding that no case of ritual killings had been reported to him during his month in the region.
Residents reportedly marched to a local businessman’s home, demanding answers.
The unrest follows community concerns about the deaths and demands for answers from the authorities.
Katamila says the search for Mbereshu’s body is continuing, while the relevant authorities had been informed about the process of repatriating Shikukutu’s body.
The post One Noordoewer drowning victim still missing appeared first on The Namibian.