Work starts on mass grave for victims of horror crash

RUNDU – The Rundu Town Council yesterday started cleaning up a site identified for the mass grave of 28 victims who died in Namibia’s worst road accident since Independence.

The 28, many of them teenagers, lost their lives when a lorry and a Rundu-bound medium-sized bus collided on the Grootfontein-Rundu road near Grootfontein on Tuesday last week. Mayor Sabina Mufenda said yesterday that the Council had provided all the machinery needed for work on the 600-square metre site.She said the services provided by the Town Council formed part of their contribution to the bereaved families.The Mayor said the construction of the actual grave should get underway this morning.The funeral is scheduled to take place on Saturday, with the memorial service to be held at the Rundu Sports Stadium.* Meanwhile, Kavango Governor John Thighuru has urged shebeen owners in Rundu to turn down the volume of their sound systems out of respect for the accident victims.More than 50 bereaved families returned to Rundu from Oshakati on Sunday night, where they had gone to identify the bodies of their loved ones in the Police morgue.Upon their return, Governor Thighuru said the whole town should observe a period of mourning until the funeral.He said no sport, music or other recreational activities should take place in Rundu until that time.He said business could go ahead as usual, but the owners of noisy establishments such as shebeens should show some respect and keep the volume down.- NampaMayor Sabina Mufenda said yesterday that the Council had provided all the machinery needed for work on the 600-square metre site.She said the services provided by the Town Council formed part of their contribution to the bereaved families. The Mayor said the construction of the actual grave should get underway this morning.The funeral is scheduled to take place on Saturday, with the memorial service to be held at the Rundu Sports Stadium.* Meanwhile, Kavango Governor John Thighuru has urged shebeen owners in Rundu to turn down the volume of their sound systems out of respect for the accident victims.More than 50 bereaved families returned to Rundu from Oshakati on Sunday night, where they had gone to identify the bodies of their loved ones in the Police morgue.Upon their return, Governor Thighuru said the whole town should observe a period of mourning until the funeral.He said no sport, music or other recreational activities should take place in Rundu until that time.He said business could go ahead as usual, but the owners of noisy establishments such as shebeens should show some respect and keep the volume down.- Nampa