OTJIWARONGO: Chief John Arnold of the !Kung Traditional Authority who died last week Friday in the Roman Catholic Hospital after a road accident will be buried on Saturday at Omatako village in Tsumkwe.
The Office of the Prime Minister’s division of special projects under deputy director Gerson Kamatuka is leading organisations of the memorial and burial services of the late Chief, his wife Maria !Nuse, and their grandson Duggery Arnold.
Kamatuka told Nampa in an interview on Thursday morning that the three deceased will be buried in one grave on Saturday at Omatako village in Tsumkwe West.
“Tonight on Thursday we will have a memorial service in Grootfontein and we will leave on Friday to Omatako village in Tsumkwe West,” he said.
On Thursday morning at 08H00 the remains of Chief Arnold was already on the way from Windhoek passing Otjiwarongo to Grootfontein for a memorial service there.
Several government dignitaries especially from the Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of Regional, Local Government and Rural Development under Kamatuka accompanied the remains of the chief.
Arnold, 54, was traveling with his wife, !Nuse, 50, and their grandson, Duggery, 13, on a tragic night of 05 July 2012, said Erastus Arnold, 33, in an interview with Nampa Wednesday last week.
Erastus is a nephew of late Chief Arnold.
He said Chief Arnold and his family were coming from their homestead situated in Tsumkwe Constituency on the night of 05 July.
“Approximately 15 kilometres from their homestead towards Omatako main road, Chief Arnold lost control of a private vehicle he was driving and it rolled three times,” Erastus said.
!Nuse and Duggery died on the spot and the chief sustained serious injuries on his whole body.
“He broke three ribs, collarbone, his right arm, his jaws and his neck was also fractured,” said Erastus.
The chief was then taken straight to Katutura State Hospital from the accident scene in an intensive care.
He was later transferred to Roman Catholic Hospital in Windhoek on13 July on which an operation was done on him the same day.
It was found that his brain was swelling all the time.
Arnold was Chief of the !Kung San people from 1990 and was officially recognised by Government as chief in 1998.