Third death by drowning hits Shakawe

A 32-year old man of Shakawe drowned and died in Okavango River this past weekend. According to Superintendent Goitsemodimo Molapisi of Shakawe Police Station, the deceased (names withheld) was reported missing on Saturday afternoon. Molapisi said the man was last spotted by a group of ladies diving into the river but surprisingly he never came out. The terrified ladies rushed to the police station to report the incident.

According to the witnesses, he is believed to have swum to the deeper end of the river and failed to handle the high water pressure resulting in suffocation. The police and Botswana Defence Force scuba divers went searching for him but failed to locate him on the day. His body was recovered on Sunday afternoon 300 metres away from where he was last seen.

Molapisi said he was certified dead upon arrival at the hospital. He said investigations are still ongoing as to what could have happened on the day. On the other hand, pictures and videos of the deceased have been circulating on social media some are insisting that the deceased was very drunk on the day. One person who claims to be a friend of the deceased said they had been drinking alcohol with him and he was very tipsy. “We left him at the river to go buy more drinks but we never knew what happened to him.”

He said they are all in shock to learn that their friend is no more recalling that in his last few hours they were very happy and even took a few pictures whilst in the river.However, Molapisi said they are yet to establish if the allegations are true. He added that this was the third drowning incident reported this year. He explained that the people of Shakawe use the river for swimming and catching fish mostly but sadly, some end up losing their lives in the process.