Relative speaks of mines deputy minister’s death

A FAMILY member of the late deputy minister of Mines and Energy Willem Isaacks yesterday said he asked for a prayer when they visited him in hospital before his death.

Isaacks died yesterday evening from injuries he sustained in a car crash yesterday afternoon. He was travelling alone in his government vehicle when the accident occurred along the B1 road, 40km north of Keetmanshoop.

The relative reverend Simon Petrus Tiboth said Isaacks appeared to be out of danger when admitted to the hospital, but had sustained internal injuries and later succumbed to them.

“He had bruises all over his body and back, and had sustained a fractured arm. It appeared that the internal injuries had also caused paralysis in his right leg,” said Tiboth, adding that the late Isaacks suffered two heart attacks and went into a coma before he died.

Tiboth said Isaacks asked him to pray for him, saying: “I don’t really know what’s wrong with me. Pray for me”.

“I asked what he meant and I got the feeling that he sensed that he was dying,” Tiboth said, describing Isaacks as a people’s person.

According to Tiboth, Isaacks’ death was a “real shock, and very sad”.

“From a human perspective, his loss is very sad and shocking, but it was God’s will,” Tiboth added.

He said Isaacks told relatives who visited him at the hospital that he had fallen asleep behind the wheel, while a motorist, who arrived at the accident scene minutes after the car crash, told The Namibian that Isaacks was thrown out of the vehicle.

//Karas Swapo Party regional coordinator, Mathew Mumbala, said the death was a loss to the nation and the party because Isaacks was a hardworking person.

The mines and energy minister, Isak Katali, yesterday visited the wife of his former colleague to convey his sympathy to the bereaved family.

Isaacks is survived by his wife, mother and children.

luqman@namibian.com.na