Staff Reporter
A TOTAL of 87 road accidents were recorded in Mariental in the Hardap Region over the past four years, resulting in 177 injuries and 24 fatalities.
This was revealed by the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund’s Senior Manager of Claims Management, Helena Shilongo, at the official handover ceremony of an ambulance donated by the MVA Fund to the Mariental Municipal Council. Shilongo was speaking on behalf of the MVA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Rosalia Martins-Hausiku.
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: Scenes from the official handover ceremony of an ambulance donated by the MVA Fund to the Mariental Municipal Council. Photos: Mariental Municipality and Ministry of Urban and Rural Development. 
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: Scenes from the official handover ceremony of an ambulance donated by the MVA Fund to the Mariental Municipal Council. Photos: Mariental Municipality and Ministry of Urban and Rural Development. 
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: Scenes from the official handover ceremony of an ambulance donated by the MVA Fund to the Mariental Municipal Council. Photos: Mariental Municipality and Ministry of Urban and Rural Development. 
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: Scenes from the official handover ceremony of an ambulance donated by the MVA Fund to the Mariental Municipal Council. Photos: Mariental Municipality and Ministry of Urban and Rural Development. 
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: Scenes from the official handover ceremony of an ambulance donated by the MVA Fund to the Mariental Municipal Council. Photos: Mariental Municipality and Ministry of Urban and Rural Development.
Shilongo revealed that of the 24 fatalities caused by road accidents in Mariental, 15 occurred at the scene of the accident. For this reason, she emphasised, the MVA Fund saw it necessary to ensure that the town has an ambulance to provide timely and effective emergency care.
“With the provision of the ambulance, we hope that it will enhance the delivery of timely emergency care and help alleviate the mortality of motor vehicle crashes within the town and the greater region,” Shilongo said.
She emphasised that the donation of the ambulance is not only intended to assist the town of Mariental but also the Hardap Region, which recorded a total of 440 road crashes between 2020 and 2023.
“The injuries recorded from these crashes were 719. Also, year to year, there was an increase of 112 fatalities during that period,” Shilongo revealed.
The Deputy Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Evelyn Nawases-Taeyele, also spoke at the handover ceremony of the donated ambulance. She emphasised the importance of disaster preparedness and resilience-building.
“Disaster preparedness and resilience-building are important for disaster risk management and reduction, and as such remain an important priority for the government. I am confident that despite the inevitability of disasters, their impact can be significantly reduced through proactive preparedness, and ultimately preventing adverse situations from evolving into full-blown emergencies and disasters,” Nawases-Taeyele added.
