Walvis Bay voters cause havoc at airport and Farm 37

Chaos erupted at Walvis Bay International Airport on Wednesday, as frustrated voters almost broke the entrance of the polling station.

Police officers tried to contain a crowd of voters that travelled to the airport after they had been informed that there were shorter queues.

Walvis Bay Urban constituency returning officer Latasha Kock said voters arrived at the airport, only to realise they were not the only ones.

“People cannot understand that we mainly serve those that are working in and around the airport, as well as those that were departing. It is not that we did not also want to help others, but the crowd that arrived wanted preference and thus tried to storm into the polling station,” she said.

Kock added that Walvis Bay residents also flocked to Farm 37 on the outskirts of the town, causing havoc as they wanted to be served first.

“The people of Farm 37 are far out of Walvis Bay. Our aim was to bring a station close and attend to them. The crowd became bigger, making it difficult for the process to be handled smoothly. However, the situation was also brought under control,” she said.

Residents earlier in the morning also tried to jump over a wall of High Hope Primary School when polling stations opened, in an attempt to jump the queue. It resulted in a part of the wall collapsing,

Kock said despite those hiccups, the situation in her constituency was running smoothly, with no other major problems.

Walvis Bay Urban constituency returning officer Eeden Gowases noted that no problems were experienced in her constituency yet.