In the quiet Grade 5D classrom of Oshakati West Primary School, the absence of Volkmar Kahana is deeply felt. His desk sits empty, a painful reminder of a promising future cut short.
The 11-year-old boy drowned last Saturday in a tragic incident that killed him and another boy, Grade 1 pupil Nhawa Jonas (6).
The school principal said Volkmar and his sister were fishing on Saturday, where they saw Jonas struggling in a pond.
Volkmar immediately jumped in the water, to attempt a rescue. Despite his valiant efforts, both boys drowned.
Volkmar’s sister ran home to call an older sibling when she did not see him surfacing, but both boys had already drowned when the sibling arrived too late.
“[Volkmar] was very bright, very quiet. He had a promising future ahead of him when it comes to academics. He would get awards,” the principal said.
Volkmar was buried yesterday at Oshakati.
The Oshana police’s regional spokesperson, chief inspector Thomas Aiyambo, said the two bodies were retrieved from the pond by members of the Special Reserve Force.
Omusati regional commander commissioner Ismael Basson told The Namibian on Wednesday the police in his region are conducting community engagements and education sessions to address concerns of children drowning in household containers.
Basson added that there are currently four cases of child abuse on the court roll involving children drowning when left unsupervised by adults.
“The drownings where minors are involved is as a result of [children] being left alone in the house while parents, guardians or caretakers were either at the cucashops or cultivating their fields,” Basson said.
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