Walvis Bay road signs vandalised

THE Walvis Bay municipal area, in December alone, lost 630 traffic and street name signs, either through vandalism or possible theft.

Caty Sheya of the Walvis Bay municipality’s public relations department said in a notice yesterday 240 traffic signs and 91 street name plates had been vandalised, while 147 traffic signs and 152 street name plates went missing. The signs are valued at about N$205 000, which ratepayers would be expected to pay.

In addition to these, there are also signs that have been affected by rust and need replacement.

Sheya told The Namibian that signs are vandalised or go missing throughout the year, but last December, the incidents “skyrocketed”. It is suspected that the festive season and the influx of visitors may have been the reason for the spike in the damage.

As a result, the municipality hopes to replace or repair between 80 to 100 signs per month.

Most of the signs vandalised or missing were at Kuisebmond, Narraville or Long Beach. The traffic signs included stop signs, yield signs, and warning signs for speed humps ahead, or pedestrian crossings, T-junctions and cul-de-sacs.

Whether the signs are just vandalised, or stolen for personal collections, or even sold as scrap metal, cannot be pinpointed.

The missing or broken signs do, however, cause an inconvenience to road users, and also pose a danger as they compromise road safety.

“Repairing and replacing them also places an extra burden on the municipality’s resources, resulting in high coss. There is a blatant disregard for public assets. The vandalism of public facilities is a criminal offence and anyone guilty of such behaviour may face stiff penalties, imprisonment or both,” she said.

People caught either vandalising, stealing or “collecting” street signs could incur a N$300 fine or six months’ imprisonment, or both.

The fine can be increased to N$2 000 if one is found guilty in a court of law.

She said with the availability of built-in camera facilities on cellphones, residents are urged to take photos of the culprits and to report acts of vandalism immediately to the nearest police station. Photos can be emailed to pr@walvisbaycc.org.na or sent via WhatsApp to 081 128 3238.