Southern business leader diesEn route to work event, the leader of the NCCI in //Karas, Nicolas Links, was killed in a car crash. Community icon Nicolas Links was killed in a car accident 0 //Kharas regional Swapo-party Think Tank chairperson and regional manager of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nicolas Links has died in a car accident on Tuesday morning.Residents of Keetmanshoop were in shock at the news of the death of 49-year-old Links, a well-known personality in the local community.
Talk of Links prevailed on the streets of the town, with some people recalling the last time they had engaged with him.
A visibly distressed friend of the family, who asked for anonymity, said that a son of Links had died last year – and could not imagine the grief of the Links family.
Namibian police spokesperson for the //Karas Region, Deputy Commissioner Rudolf Isaak confirmed late Tuesday afternoon that Links died in an accident at about 08:25 on the C17 gravel road 3 km outside Koës village.
Links was traveling from Keetmanshoop with two other people to the village to present a public lecture on business matters to local authority councillors at that village.
The driver of the car and another person escaped the accident with minor injuries. They are Jakobus Uirab, 33, and Elton Uiseb, 32.
Both men were taken to the Keetmanshoop State Hospital for treatment.
Isaak said that the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle at a sharp curve, causing the car to overturn.
“The deceased was thrown out of the vehicle and died on the scene,” Isaak said.
Swapo-party Regional Coordinator for //Karas Matheus Mumbala told Nampa that Links’ death was a loss to the party.
“He was our family. His family’s loss is our loss. He was a trusted cadre that we could rely on any time. With his busy schedule, he still served as volunteer assistant administrator in my office. We were robbed of a very reliable person,” he said.
Mumbala offered his condolences to the Links family and said that a memorial service would be held by the party in due course.
NCCI CEO Officer Tarah Shaanika told Nampa that Links’ passing was a huge loss to the NCCI.
“We are very saddened by his passing. He was responsible for the southern regions of Hardap and
//Karas and Links was instrumental in developing new branches for the NCCI in those regions. He was also very involved in training and capacity building of small and medium enterprises,” Shaanika said.
Links also served as an athletics coach in Keetmanshoop in his free time and is remembered for being vocal on economic matters of the south at public meetings.
In recent months, he spoke during a panel discussion held by the University of Namibia Southern Campus on job creation in existing industries of the region for locals.
At another seminar held by the Keetmanshoop Municipality less than two weeks ago, Links expressed his concern at possible job losses of southern people currently employed at the Neckartal Dam project.
“There are about 1 500 people from the south employed there in the construction phase. What will happen to them when the dam is completed? We need to think about the creation of jobs for those people; either at the dam once irrigation operations start or in other private industry,” Links had said.