Roads Authority issues warning on road signs vandalism

The Roads Authority (RA) has warned the public to stop vandalising road traffic signs or face criminal charges.

This comes after it was observed that some road signs across the country have been vandalised to the extent that they can no longer convey the intended message to road users.

RA spokesperson Hileni Fillemon said vandalism of road signs can significantly impact road safety.

“When road signs are damaged or removed, drivers may be left without crucial information about road conditions, speed limits, turns, hazards and other important instructions,” Fillemon said.

This can lead to confusion, increased risks of accidents and even traffic congestion, she said.

“Thus, we would like to appeal to the public to refrain from vandalising road signs, as these acts may lead to fatal accidents.”
The vandalism of road signs also places the country’s image in a bad light, she said.

“We have road transport officers in the regions who monitor the condition of our roads and signs on a regular basis. The RA, as the custodian of national roads, maintains road signs to ensure safe and efficient traffic flow on the roads.”

Fillemon said there have been no recent incidents related to the vandalism of road signs.

“However, last year we experienced vandalism in the Kunene region. Those who are caught may be criminally charged.”

Vandalism also jeopardises the level of service the RA can provide, she said.

“Vandalism may cause huge losses of funds and consequently taxpayers’ money goes to waste, as funds that could have been channeled to projects will be spent to replace damaged signs,” Fillemon said.

To discourage vandalism, Fillemon said the RA conducts regular educational campaigns across the country.

“We have teamed up with various NBC radio language services for live broadcasts and we do regular campaigns on our social media platform. The public is kindly requested to report any acts of vandalism to ra@tip-offs.com or at our toll free hotline 0800 309 231.”

Damaged road signs in towns must be reported to the relevant town council, Fillemon said.

‘A CONCERN’

Meanwhile, Ministry of Works and Transport spokesperson Julius Ngweda said they have noted the increasing cases of vandalism of road signs with great concern.

Ngweda said the worst affected regions are Kavango East and West, Ohangwena, Oshikoto and Omusati, while Windhoek and the coastal towns are also major culprits.

“Vandalism directly affects the purpose of road signs. Imagine a tourist or anyone who never drove on such a road and someone deliberately paints or turns around the sign, it will lead to confusion and to terrible accidents.

“It does not give a good picture and message of the country at all. With Namibia being a country with a high number of accidents, you still find signs and road markings tampered with,” said Ngweda.

During the annual festive season, Ngweda said the ministry expends resources through the National Road Safety Council to campaign and remind road users to stick to the speed limits.

“We are urging the public, especially these vandals, to please refrain from these acts. Road signs are costing the government a lot of money.”

Ngweda said those caught vandalising road signs will face the law.

“You will be arrested and the law will take its course.”

He said awareness campaigns are ongoing to educate the public to refrain from vandalising and stealing road signs.

“We are also doing these campaigns in a number of schools. I think we need to make more efforts in terms of media campaigns,” Ngweda said.

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