Teacher kills snake, commits suicide

The apparent suicide of a teacher in the Oshikoto Region is shrouded in mystery following allegations that Sem Michael Kashimba, 27, ended his own life on Tuesday evening after killing a snake that he found in his room. In an SMS sent to his brother moments before hanging himself, Kashimba said: “Look, the snake I killed in my room was not just a snake. It was a set-up for my soul. I never killed a snake like that one. Let them know the truth and do not be scared because there is nothing you and me can do. Goodnight brother. We will meet in another life. Say that to my sad family, teachers, learners and everyone. I wished the pain will last for few times. I am sorry that it is my fault to kill it. I thought it was the good thing at the time when it wasn’t.” Police could neither confirm the snake part of the story, nor the existence of the SMS, but the acting regional commander in Oshikoto, Deputy Commissioner Naomi Katjiwa, said the police at Okatope have opened an inquest and a post-mortem will be conducted to determine Kashimba’s cause of death. She said Kashimba, who was a teacher at Evale Combined School in the Onamishu area, was found “with a rope around his neck and hanging from a tree”. PLACIDO HILUKILWA