Man drowns in flooded Ekuma River
A man has drowned in a flooded river in the Okatyali Constituency, where the regional council recently donated a new rowboat and lifejackets because of the danger of crossing the river.
Not long after the Oshana regional council handed over 25 lifejackets to be used by people crossing the Ekuma River in the Okatyali Constituency, a man drowned on Sunday afternoon after jumping from a canoe.
The body of the young cattle herder, identified only as Joseph, was recovered by the police yesterday afternoon.
According to his employer, Pinease Enkali, the incident happened when Joseph escorted someone across the river.
“On Saturday we had someone who went to the cattle post to drop basic needs for the cattle herders. The person stayed overnight at the cattle post and returned on Sunday afternoon. The deceased and others escorted him, helped him cross the river with the canoe because the car could not cross the river. The incident then happened on their way back to the cattle post,” Enkali said.
“We were told that when the canoe was in the middle of the river the deceased and a friend jumped out to swim, then he drowned.” Okatyali Constituency councillor Joseph Mupetami said his office was investigating what had happened to the lifejackets the regional council had donated to the area.
He said the incident was shocking.
“We did not expect this to happen after the regional council assisted us with us a new canoe and lifejackets. The river is deep and dangerous but the regional council made it safer for us and we did not expect losing a life in this way,” said Mupetami.
Okatyali receives the overflow from Lake Oponona, which is a catchment area for floodwater from the Oshana, Ohangwena and Omusati regions.
People with cattle posts on the other side of the flooded river cross the river in a canoe, with only one crossing point at Oniiwe.
ILENI NANDJATO
The body of the young cattle herder, identified only as Joseph, was recovered by the police yesterday afternoon.
According to his employer, Pinease Enkali, the incident happened when Joseph escorted someone across the river.
“On Saturday we had someone who went to the cattle post to drop basic needs for the cattle herders. The person stayed overnight at the cattle post and returned on Sunday afternoon. The deceased and others escorted him, helped him cross the river with the canoe because the car could not cross the river. The incident then happened on their way back to the cattle post,” Enkali said.
“We were told that when the canoe was in the middle of the river the deceased and a friend jumped out to swim, then he drowned.” Okatyali Constituency councillor Joseph Mupetami said his office was investigating what had happened to the lifejackets the regional council had donated to the area.
He said the incident was shocking.
“We did not expect this to happen after the regional council assisted us with us a new canoe and lifejackets. The river is deep and dangerous but the regional council made it safer for us and we did not expect losing a life in this way,” said Mupetami.
Okatyali receives the overflow from Lake Oponona, which is a catchment area for floodwater from the Oshana, Ohangwena and Omusati regions.
People with cattle posts on the other side of the flooded river cross the river in a canoe, with only one crossing point at Oniiwe.
ILENI NANDJATO
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