Niël Terblanché
The body of the 63-year-old Simson Hishekwa, who was a member of the crew of the fishing vessel Therona, was discovered floating in the water next to the boat on Tuesday morning.
At the time of the incident, the vessel was moored in the small craft harbour in the port of Walvis Bay.
According to Judith Shomongula, spokesperson for the Namibian Police in the Erongo region, the fisherman told his crewmates that he was going to his home in the Kuisebmond residential area late on Monday afternoon.
“It is suspected that he fell overboard upon his return to the vessel the next morning. None of his crew mates know what happened. His body was discovered on Tuesday morning, 25 February at around 07:40, in the water by his colleague who reported the incident to their seniors,” she said.
She added that the Namibian police were summoned to the scene.
According to Shomongula, his crewmates informed investigators that Hishekwa’s medical records indicate that he suffered from epileptic attacks.
Hishekwa was declared dead at the Walvis Bay State Hospital.
Volunteers from the public assisted police officers to recover the deceased person’s body from the sea.
According to Martin Muyenga, the founder of Monarch Lifeguard, the volunteer organisation received a call around 09:19 from the Namibian Police to assist them with a possible drowning case at a vessel moored in the port.
“Our team quickly responded, and when we arrived, we helped to retrieve remains from the ocean with the aid of police officers,” he said.
He expressed appreciation for the police’s trust in the volunteer group he founded.
