Pupil dies, principal in court

THE principal of the Shituwa Combined School at Endola village near Oshakati, Gotfried Ndumba (33), appeared in the Oshakati Magistrate’s Court yesterday charged with culpable homicide.

Ndumba was arrested after Olivia Matheus (16), a Grade 10 learner at his school, allegedly jumped off Ndumba’s truck on Sunday night. Ndumba and three male friends were allegedly “driving” Matheus and another young girl to Oshakati against their wishes.The other girl, only known as Hilaria, also jumped off the moving vehicle.She sustained multiple injuries.Hilaria is a Grade 10 Namcol learner at Shituwa-Endola.Matheus reportedly lay in the road for about five hours until she was found, barely alive, by a passing vehicle.Ndumba and his three male friends, two of whom were allegedly Policemen, allegedly did not stop to check on the fate of the two young girls.Instead they drove on to Oshakati.He also did not report the case to the Police and allegedly kept quiet until Monday, when the Police came to look for him after villagers reported the incident.Apart from a case of culpable homicide, Ndumba is charged with failing to stop after an accident, failing to report the incident to the Police and failing to render assistance to the young girls.Ndumba was not asked to plead yesterday and his case was postponed to August 23 to give Police a chance to continue their investigations.He was granted bail of N$1 000.Hilaria is said to have jumped from the truck first.She is receiving treatment at the Oshakati State Hospital.She managed to make her way home that night and related what had happened.A reliable source at Endola, a teacher, told The Namibian that Ndumba and three of his friends, two of them allegedly Policemen, had been at the ZoZo Bar with four young girls on Sunday night.Ndumba and his friends allegedly told the girls to go with them to another bar “to buy cool drinks”.Two of the girls had apparently refused but Olivia and Hilaria had accepted and got into the truck which had a canopy.The four men drove off with the two young girls, but instead of stopping at another bar, they drove on to Oshakati on the Oshakati Endola road at approximately 21h00 The two girls allegedly asked to get off because they had not agreed to go to Oshakati.Instead of stopping, Ndumba apparently drove on.At that stage, Hilaria jumped off the vehicle, followed by Olivia.She was seriously injured and could not move.She lay in the road until a passing vehicle found her half alive at about 02h00.The driver took Olivia to the Oshakati Hospital where she died.The case was then reported to the Police who started to investigate.NamPol liaison officer for the Oshana Region, Samuel Hamukonda, who confirmed the incident to The Namibian, said that the case was serious and the Police had launched a thorough investigation.Asked if it was true that there were two Policemen in Ndumba’s company, Hamukonda said that this could not be confirmed, but the allegation was being investigated.Asked for comment, the Director of Education for the Ohangwena Region, Josia Udjombala, said that he was stunned by what had happened.He said his office would launch its own investigation.”The truth has to come out here and we are not going to sleep before the whole thing is clear,” said Udjombala said.Some residents at Endola who spoke to The Namibian, said they were demanding a very thorough Police investigation.The Namibian learnt from reliable sources at Endola, that residents plan to hold a peaceful demonstration this afternoon.Ndumba and three male friends were allegedly “driving” Matheus and another young girl to Oshakati against their wishes.The other girl, only known as Hilaria, also jumped off the moving vehicle.She sustained multiple injuries.Hilaria is a Grade 10 Namcol learner at Shituwa-Endola.Matheus reportedly lay in the road for about five hours until she was found, barely alive, by a passing vehicle.Ndumba and his three male friends, two of whom were allegedly Policemen, allegedly did not stop to check on the fate of the two young girls.Instead they drove on to Oshakati.He also did not report the case to the Police and allegedly kept quiet until Monday, when the Police came to look for him after villagers reported the incident.Apart from a case of culpable homicide, Ndumba is charged with failing to stop after an accident, failing to report the incident to the Police and failing to render assistance to the young girls.Ndumba was not asked to plead yesterday and his case was postponed to August 23 to give Police a chance to continue their investigations.He was granted bail of N$1 000.Hilaria is said to have jumped from the truck first.She is receiving treatment at the Oshakati State Hospital.She managed to make her way home that night and related what had happened.A reliable source at Endola, a teacher, told The Namibian that Ndumba and three of his friends, two of them allegedly Policemen, had been at the ZoZo Bar with four young girls on Sunday night.Ndumba and his friends allegedly told the girls to go with them to another bar “to buy cool drinks”.Two of the girls had apparently refused but Olivia and Hilaria had accepted and got into the truck which had a canopy.The four men drove off with the two young girls, but instead of stopping at another bar, they drove on to Oshakati on the Oshakati Endola road at approximately 21h00 The two girls allegedly asked to get off because they had not agreed to go to Oshakati.Instead of stopping, Ndumba apparently drove on.At that stage, Hilaria jumped off the vehicle, followed by Olivia.She was seriously injured and could not move.She lay in the road until a passing vehicle found her half alive at about 02h00.The driver took Olivia to the Oshakati Hospital where she died.The case was then reported to the Police who started to investigate.NamPol liaison officer for the Oshana Region, Samuel Hamukonda, who confirmed the incident to The Namibian, said that the case was serious and the Police had launched a thorough investigation.Asked if it was true that there were two Policemen in Ndumba’s company, Hamukonda said that this could not be confirmed, but the allegation was being investigated.Asked for comment, the Director of Education for the Ohangwena Region, Josia Udjombala, said that he was stunned by what had happened.He said his office would launch its own investigation.”The truth has to come out here and we are not going to sleep before the whole thing is clear,” said Udjombala said.Some residents at Endola who spoke to The Namibian, said they were demanding a very thorough Police investigation.The Namibian learnt from reliable sources at Endola, that residents plan to hold a peaceful demonstration this afternoon.