Two Namibian police officers lost their lives in unrelated road accidents that occurred in the Oshana and Oshikoto regions over the weekend, police have confirmed.
The first incident took place on Saturday morning along the busy Ongwediva-Ondangwa road near Omaalala. Sergeant Walenga Immanuel Kauluma Tukwatha, aged 35, succumbed to his injuries shortly after being transported to Oshakati State Hospital.
According to a weekend report issued by the Namibian Police, Tukwatha was one of the victims in a head-on collision involving a Toyota Corolla and a black Toyota hatchback. The crash reportedly happened when the hatchback attempted to overtake another vehicle and collided with the Corolla coming from the opposite direction.
Tukwatha, who served as a unit commander with the Ondangwa Aviation Unit, was among several people taken to hospital following the collision. The condition of the other occupants was not disclosed.
Just a day earlier, on Friday, another tragic accident claimed the life of 51-year-old Sergeant Nehoya Joseph Nekongo, who was part of the Border and Infrastructure Protection Division in the Oshikoto Region.
The fatal crash occurred on the Omuthiya-Ondangwa main road when Nekongo, driving a silver Toyota Fortuner, attempted to overtake a VW Golf 7. During the overtaking manoeuvre, the Fortuner reportedly sideswiped the Golf, causing Nekongo to lose control of his vehicle, which then overturned.
Nekongo, who was travelling alone at the time, died at the scene. The four occupants of the Golf escaped uninjured.
Police investigations into both accidents are ongoing.
The deaths of the two officers have left their respective units and communities in mourning, with tributes pouring in from colleagues and family members.
