Hertta-Maria Amutenja
A cadet constable of the Namibian Police died on 30 July after falling ill during a verification and screening process at the Ruben Danger Ashipala Training Centre.
Kandiwapa Matheus, 30, was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead upon arrival.
According to Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi, the Namibian Police’s spokesperson, the incident occurred shortly after Kandiwapa had completed the initial screening.
“Sadly, he was declared dead upon arrival. The next of kin was informed,” she said.
He had been part of Police Basic Training Course 1 of 2023-2024, which was officially opened on 29 September 2023, at the Pius Joseph Kaundu Police Training Centre in the Omaheke Region.
The course includes 244 cadet constables, equally split between 122 male and 122 female trainees.
The Inspector General of the Namibian Police Force, Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo, officiated at the course opening ceremony.
The training in the Omaheke Region was running concurrently with the same training at the Ruben Danger Ashipala Police Training Centre.
In a similar incident in 2022, when Efraim Ndeshaanya died after collapsing during a Namibian Defence Force (NDF) physical fitness test in Eenhana.
