Aussenkehr: The police at Aussenkehr on Sunday retrieved the body of a 35-year-old man who drowned in the Orange River while fishing on Friday. The Namibian Police Force’s acting crime investigations coordinator for the ||Kharas Region, Theodore Kotungondo, in a crime report on Sunday, said the incident occurred on Friday around 08h00 while the body of the man identified as Mabilani Osbert Mabilani was only retrieved around 08h45 on Sunday.

According to Namibia Press Agency, it is alleged that the deceased and another man went fishing in the Orange River near farm Boplaatz. Mabilani had gone to remove his fish from the net when his companion heard a commotion. ‘The witness jumped into the river and swam to where he last saw the deceased going in. He heard screams for help but got exhausted and only momentarily saw the hands of the deceased before he disappeared under the water,’ said Kotungondo.

He then walked about three kilometres to Boplaatz to seek assistance and called the police, who attended to the scene. It is further alleged that the deceased and his companion were fishing illegally. ‘They set up a camp on the South African side to avoid being detected by police on the Namibian side,’ Kotungondo said. Mabilani’s next of kin have been informed of this death. Police investigations continue.