Swakopmund voters sleep at polling stations

IN LINE ... Residents of DRC informal settlement in Swakopmund showed up at voting venues at 03h00 and marked their spaces with empty buckets and chairs to ensure they are the first to vote in the Regional and Local Authority elections . This photo was taken at DRC Fire Station. Photo: Nampa

Voters at Swakopmund in the Erongo Region showed up at voting venues as early as 02h00 to cast their votes in the Regional Council and Local Authority Elections underway here.
Although she was not one of the few who lined up since 02h00, Florence Ochs, 64, was the first person to vote at the Tamariskia Hall at exactly 07h00 when the polling station opened.
She and several other elderly people were given the opportunity to vote first.
In the DRC informal settlement, eight people were observed queuing at the DRC Community Centre polling station at 05h00.
By 05h21, 15 voters had showed up at the DRC Fire Station polling venue, where they marked their spaces with empty buckets and chairs to ensure they vote among the first. Most of these voters are construction and mine workers who had to start work at 08h00.
When Nampa arrived at the Mile 4 Caravan Park mobile polling station at 07h15, the voting was in progress with 10 people, mostly elders, waiting in the queue.
The Returning Officer for Swakopmund Constituency, Tuaameni Haukongo confirmed to Nampa that all the venues opened on time at 07h00 and the election is progressing without hiccups.
There are seven constituencies in Erongo, 74 fixed polling stations and 41 mobile teams.
A total 106 246 registered voters across Erongo are expected to vote.
-Nampa