Niël Terblanché
The Namibian Police (Nampol) are intensifying efforts to locate 52-year-old police officer George Hamanja Isaacks, who went missing in Walvis Bay last Friday under unclear circumstances.
Isaacks, employed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, had travelled from Windhoek for official duties.
Isaacks was last seen by his colleagues around 14:00 on Friday. Since then, there has been no contact with him.
“His phone is not reachable, and family members, friends, and colleagues have not heard from him since,” said Inspector Judith Shomongula, Nampol’s Erongo Regional spokesperson.
At the time of his disappearance, Isaacks was wearing khaki trousers, a shirt, a blue jean jacket, and a grey and white cap. He is described as light in complexion.
A potential lead emerged when an unidentified man was seen entering the Atlantic Ocean near the Swakopmund aquarium around 20:00 on Saturday.
Witnesses described the man, also light in complexion, walking along the beach before suddenly jumping into the sea. He was wearing a red T-shirt, blue trousers, a grey cap, and black sunglasses. The sunglasses were later found on a bench by the beach.
Emergency services began search operations that evening. While police have not confirmed a link between Isaacks’ disappearance and the man seen at the beachfront, they are not ruling out the possibility.
“Our assumptions should remain that he is still alive until any further discovery,” Shomongula said.
The police are urging anyone with information or who may have a missing relative matching the description to come forward.
People can contact Detective Chief Inspector Dino Skrywer at 081 422 3210, Detective Warrant Officer Epson Ronnie Gariseb at 081 203 1808, Detective Inspector Gail Kolele at 081 218 7336, or report to the nearest police station.
Shomonula said that the investigation into the missing police officer, as well as the potential drowning incident, is still active.
