Renthia Kaimbi
Two separate suicide incidents within days of each other have shaken the coastal town, with the Erongo regional police confirming both cases.
Swakopmund resident Barbara Ludwig was found deceased in her vehicle in Kramersdorp suburb on Tuesday, after having been missing since earlier during the day.
She is believed to have ended her life by shooting herself with a firearm.
Sources claimed that a suicide note she left, presumably at her home, led her loved ones to phone the police, giving a description of the vehicle she was driving.
Members of the Swakopmund Neighbourhood Watch spotted the vehicle and, upon closer inspection, found Ludwig deceased with a single gunshot wound to the her head not far from her vehicle.
As far as they could establish, the gunshot wound was self-inflicted.
Ludwig, was remembered as the founder of pet supplies outlet Happy Pets in Swakopmund, which she allegedly sold a considerable time ago.
In a separate but related tragedy, the body of a prominent Tsumeb businessman washed ashore near Vierkantklip on Sunday, approximately 600 metres south of the location where he is believed to have walked into the sea.
Nafutal Goodman Shinedima had been missing for four days prior to the discovery of his body.
A luxury sedan vehicle was found parked in such a way that it blocked the B2 coastal road’s entrance to Vierkantklip, drawing the attention of authorities.
The vehicle had remained in that position for several days. The Swakopmund police, assisted by the Namibia Marshal Rangers, towed the vehicle to the Mondesa police station.
A letter was found inside the abandoned vehicle, reportedly containing at least one cellphone number to trace Shinedima’s next-of-kin.
Sean Naudé, commander of West Coast Guardian Sea Rescue, confirmed that a search at sea commenced on Saturday morning to try to locate Shinedima.
A member of Monarch Lifeguards assisted West Coast Guardian with foot patrols on the beach, and made the discovery.
The deceased was positively identified by his brother, and the body was transported to the Walvis Bay police mortuary.
The police in the Erongo region extended condolences to his family and friends.
