Appalling site as municipal worker drives vehicle into flock of guinea fowl

Sharlien Tjambari

Residents of Swakopmund are appalled by an incident they witnessed on Wednesday where a municipal worker ran over a flock of guinea fowl with a municipal vehicle, killing and maiming some of the birds.

The worker without ceremony chucked the dead fowl onto the vehicle’s loading bin and drove off. Residents who witnessed the incident said the driver did this deliberately.
Many cases of animal cruelty go unreported and often unnoticed.
Residents of Lowenhof Apartments in the central town who witnessed the incident on Wednesday say it was around 11:30 on Wednesday when an adult male driving a white bakkie with a single passenger at the back drove into the flock of guinea fowl. It looked as if the driver was speeding. The vehicle bore the logo of the Swakopmund Municipality on its doors. “From what I saw, it seemed like the driver deliberately sped into this flock of guinea fowl. The birds are frequenting the area and were crossing the road”, explained one of the witnesses.
Adding the driver stopped and picked up two or three dead birds, threw them into the car and drove off”, said the person. The person expressed his disgust at the incident and said the guinea fowl are part and parcel of the area. Ironically there are also clear signs warning motorists about the presence of this flock of guinea fowl.
Several people witnessed the incident.
Attempts to get a comment from the Swakopmund municipality over the incident, and what steps will be taken against the driver, were unsuccessful. Namib Times will continue to seek comment on the matter.