The University of Namibia (Unam) has expressed condolences to the families of two Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area universities consortium conference participants who died in an accident in the Zambezi region on Saturday.
Zambezi police commander commissioner Julia Sakuwa-Neo on Saturday confirmed that an accident that occurred in the Mubiza area along the Katima Mulilo–Ngoma road claimed the lives of a Zimbabwean (48) and a Namibian (20).
She added that the driver of the vehicle, who had 10 occupants, lost control after a tire burst around 07h00.
The rest of the occupants sustained serious to minor injuries.
Unam spokesperson Simon Namesho in a statement issued on Sunday says they are saddened by the loss of the university student and the delegate from the National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe.
He adds that the students and delegates were on their way back after attending the Kaza Universities Consortium Research conference at Katima Mulilo Campus from 12 to 16 October.
“On 17 October, a vehicle carrying conference delegates and students to Victoria Falls Airport was involved in an accident at Mubiza, along the Katima Mulilo–Ngoma road. A university student and a delegate from the National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe lost their lives. The other delegates and students in the vehicle sustained injuries and are currently receiving medical care,” he says.
Namesho says Unam is helping the families of the victims.
“The circumstances of the accident are being investigated by the relevant authorities, and
We will not speculate about the cause. This is a time for care, not conjecture. We ask the public and the media to respect the privacy and dignity of the bereaved families and of those receiving treatment, and to refrain from sharing images or unverified information. Furthermore, we appeal that we allow the families to be informed and to grieve before names are made public,” he saya.
Unam vice chancellor Kenneth Matengu has expressed his condolences to the and sent well wishes to those who were injured.
“Last week the Katima Mulilo Campus welcomed people from five countries who came to work on something shared. On Saturday morning, two of them did not get to go home. I will not offer words that are too small for that. Our thoughts are with their families, with those who were injured and with everyone who knew them. We ask only that they be given room, and we promise that we will stay beside them,” he says.
