Tujoromajo Kasuto
A 42-year-old Zambian male truck driver committed suicide on Saturday on the road behind Dune 7.
He threw himself into an oncoming truck after being caught red-handed stealing diesel from a stationary truck.
According to Nampol Weekend Serious Crime Report for the previous weekend, compiled by Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi, while driving his truck, he came across an abandoned truck parked next to the road. He stopped his truck, got out, and began stealing diesel from the abandoned truck.
‘’While the deceased was busy taking diesel from the abandoned truck, the owner of the truck came and caught him while he was busy. The truck owner told the deceased that he was going to call the police to report the theft. It is further alleged that the deceased threw himself between the two tyres of the trailer pulled by another truck that was passing, which drove over him. The deceased died at the scene,’’ explained Shikwambi.
The body was taken to the Walvis Bay Police mortuary for storage and post mortem to be conducted to establish the cause of death. Next of kin is not yet informed since the deceased is a foreigner. Investigation including tracing the family is ongoing.
In another incident, it is alleged that a 42-year-old Namibian male driver of a Mercedes Benz truck drove over 14-year-old passenger who jumped out from the back of the truck, which could not climb a steep slope and starting moving backwards.
The victim who died on the spot was identified as Mavara Faustinus Shifura. The incident happened on Saturday at Utokota village in the Shambyu area.
Driver, is allegedly only in possession of a code BE driver license, which is not for the big trucks that he was operating and in addition the truck is also not roadworthy.
Consequently, the driver was arrested. The body of the deceased was taken to Rundu states mortuary pending autopsy and police investigations continues.
Meanwhile, in Epukiro, a 54-year-old man was charged with operating a motor vehicle on a public
Road and failing to stop after an accident, as well as not rendering assistance to a victim after an accident after he ran over a middle-aged woman between Okatuuo and Otjimati.
The woman died on the spot, and the driver fled the scene. The deceased was discovered by passers-by, who alerted the Epukiro police.
‘’Vehicle break-marks were observed at the scene which clearly indicated that a vehicle ran over the deceased and the tracks were followed until few kilometers to Otjijarua where a vehicle was found parked in the veld, it was locked with a broken bumper which was suspected to be the vehicle that ran over the deceased as the piece of that bumper was found at the scene,’’ said Shikwambi. She continues that the footprints were then followed from the vehicle up to Otjijarua at the school, where the 54-year-old Namibian male suspect was found with exactly the same shoe prints that the police were following.’’ After interviewing the suspect and the passenger, it was established that driver did not have a valid driver’s license.
