By Prince Mupiri
RUNDU, March 14 — Last Thursday, a teenager was killed in the village of Ncamagoro, and on Saturday, three people died after being struck by lightning while watching football in Ntara village in the Kavango West region. The incident occurred at approximately 5 pm when five spectators at the Ntara football field were hit by lightning. According to Julia Sakuwa-Neo, the police chief for the Kavango West region, only two of the victims survived, and the other three died at the scene.
The victims of the Ntara tragedy were Maseka Joseph Kasinga (43), Haingura Paula Mbunze (16), and Lontine Ndambu, who was carrying her 11-month-old daughter on her back at the time of the incident. They were all declared dead at the scene. Two survivors, Justina Nangura Haikera (32) and Kunberth Frans Hausiku (26) were unharmed after being brought to the Bunya Health Centre.
In another lightning incident, Antonio Michael Kamanya (19), a grade 9 student at Ncamagoro Combined School, was identified as the victim in the Ncamagoro community. Kamanya and other spectators were returning from the football field when lightning struck the village at around 6:50 pm. The victims’ next of kin have been informed of their passing.
In addition to these tragic events, a teacher was killed in a hit-and-run incident in the same village while crossing the Trans Caprivi highway. The Ncamagoro Combined School is mourning the loss of Muyeu Faustinus Shifura (34), and the police are investigating the incident as a case of culpable homicide. The police arrived at the scene and found that another student, Agapitus Ndungo Muronga (16), had already been taken to the hospital with injuries.
Police Chief Sakuwa-Neo stated that a person was hit by an unknown car between 10 pm and midnight on Saturday, and the motorist failed to stop at the scene. Shifura was laid to rest on March 11. – Namibia Daily News
