NamPower surging ahead with debt collections
The national power utility confirmed yesterday that it had received an instruction from Cabinet and the finance ministry on Monday not to continue suspending defaulting electricity distributors' power supply.However, NamPower is owed more than N$1 billion and is therefore continuing with its debt collection plan.
Several towns' electricity was temporarily suspended on Monday evening.
All the northern towns that rely on Nored for electricity have been affected, as well as Rehoboth, Mariental, Karasburg, Aranos, Maltahöhe, Gibeon, Bethanie, Tses, Koës, Leonardville, Berseba, Kalkrand and Stampriet in the south.
"The board and management decided to proceed with the plan because it is in the best interest of the company's financial sustainability and for the sustainability of electricity supply in the country," NamPower said in a media statement.
NamPower says it has repeatedly tried to collect the debt - without success - over the years, and the last option is the scheduled power cuts, which are now applied.
The plan involves the curtailment of power supply in several phases, with phase one now applied on Mondays from around 18:00 for two hours. The plan sets out nine phases - with the ninth phase where the affected towns would be without power for eight hours a day, seven days a week.
Yesterday's statement follows after Cabinet allegedly decided last Tuesday that NamPower should not switch off the electricity supply. However, a corresponding letter from finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi was only written and sent on Monday. Shiimi also sent copies to Tom Alweendo, the Minister of Mines and Energy, and to Erastus Uutoni, the Minister of Urban and Rural Development.
North
A parent from Rundu, Martin Linkumbi, said that his children - who are currently writing exams - had to study with the flashlight of his mobile phone.
"My children wrote exams (Tuesday) and as a parent, I had no choice but to give them my mobile phone so they could light up their room to study.
"This is not what we call progress. Nored and NamPower need to fix the mess they got us into. It cannot happen again," he said.
What has infuriated many residents is that they use pre-paid electricity and therefore owe neither their village councils nor the electricity distributors in their regions anything.
The chairman of the Namibian Chamber of Commerce (NCCI) branch in Kavango East, Geraldo Illarius, told our sister publication Namibian Sun on behalf of the two Kavango regions, that NamPower's new measure has affected businesses in the area. He said small business owners - who don't have backup generators - had to close their businesses early.
Rundu businessman and community activist Frans Moyo said he had to close his shebeen earlier than usual as it was not safe to keep it open. “The area where I do business is not one where you can serve customers in the dark. It is not safe. What I want to know is why Nored allowed this to happen to us. I use prepaid electricity,” he said.
Health
Maria Shafodino, the technical coordinator in charge of maintenance at the Ongwediva Medipark private hospital, said they had enough reserves and were not affected by the power outage.
However, public health facilities without generators, such as clinics where refrigerators and freezers are used to store medicine, will feel the repercussions quickly.
Ben Nangombe, the executive director of health and social services, said it was unfortunate that some areas of the country were experiencing such problems, but was quick to add that many public health facilities had backup generators.
On Monday, Nored apologised for the power outages and said discussions with NamPower and other stakeholders were ongoing. Rehoboth's town council is also still negotiating and has promised to keep residents informed.