Martin Endjala
The family of O’Linn Nauyoma, who drowned a month ago in Lake Guinas near Tsumeb, has yet to find closure as his body remains missing.
They have tried all possible methods to retrieve his body, which disappeared under the water while on a school excursion.
Lake Guinas, the largest permanent lake in Namibia, is believed to be connected to Lake Otjikoto via an underground cave system.
Nauyoma (16), from Etosha Secondary School, was on a school learners’ representative council excursion when he entered the lake and was never seen again.
Fifteen police divers, including Oshana regional police commander Commissioner Naftal Lungameni, have searched for Nauyoma’s body without success.
National police spokesperson Kauna Shikwambi said the police lack the expertise to retrieve Nauyoma’s body.
“It is a fact that the depth of Guinas Lake is about 130 meters, and unfortunately the level of training Nampol divers received can only dive up to 40 meters deep” she said.
Despite this, the police divers took the risk and dove up to 50 meters deep in search of the body.
She added that the police had exhausted all their limited resources in trying to recover the body.
“According to the experts, diving at the depth of 130 meters is risky, very dangerous, and requires extensive technical dive training and specialised equipment, which unfortunately, we do not have, nor could such equipment be found in Namibia,” she explained.
Shikwambi added that the police’s diving call-out history is typically between depths of 10 to 20 meters, far shallower than the depth and complexities of Lake Guinas.
“We regret the incident and feel sorry for the family. They are by all means at liberty to seek other assistance and Nampol will continue to support them during this process,” she said.
The Windhoek Observer understands that the family is now seeking funds to acquire an extreme deep diver from abroad to search the lake for the body.
The family already received assistance from a private diver, who reached a depth of 62 meters but with no success.
The area where Nauyoma drowned is believed to be about 127 meters deep, requiring specialized equipment.
According to police reports, the incident occurred when the students were bungee jumping at the lake during their tour.
Nauyoma is the third person to drown in Lake Guinas, and reports indicate that the bodies of previous victims have also not been found.
Depending on the water level, the lake’s centre is reported to have a depth of over 130 meters.
While the family continues searching for Nauyoma’s body, they held a memorial service on 14 September at Ongha, his parents’ homestead in the Ohangwena region.
