By: Dolly Menas
LPM parliamentarian Henny Seibeb has asked the national assembly to consider writing off electricity debt for all local authorities in the country.
His motion comes as he also asked parliament to consider writing off all water debt, a request that Namwater CEO Abraham Nehemia termed unrealistic.
“For us, electricity is both a human right as well as a developmental matter. The rights of people to a dignified life is amongst others anchored on the availability of services such as electricity,” he said.
Last year, Nampower threatened to suspend electricity supply to 15 local authorities, two ministries, and some government agencies, which owed close to N$1 billion.
Seibeb argued that local authorities have to provide electricity to residents in their areas and are connected to Nampower in an asymmetrical power relationship, where the company dictates the primary supply, including import of electricity decisions, thereby determining the cost of electricity in the country.
He also said Namibia has moved quite a distance in providing electricity to the people, particularly in the local authority jurisdiction.
“Many houses that were not able to have electricity, as well as rural households, are now connected to the electricity grid and services,” he said.
According to Seibeb, the sector remains challenged in the Southern African Democratic Countries (SADC) region, but there is a good amount of import and export of electricity from among the various SADC countries, helping to ease the generation shortages in some countries of the region.
“Electricity Control Board (ECB) plays a role of a regulator of the sector. However, the apex party is the penultimate key stakeholder in the electricity import, generation and transmission system. One must also acknowledge the progress being made in the Independent Power Producing (IPP) sector. We urge a fast-tracked approach toward opening up the electricity generation, import and distribution platforms,” he said.
“For us, the matter under discussion is too important for narrow politicking and firing of cheap shots from the hip. Let us focus,” he stressed.
He added that the debt accumulated belongs to all, beyond political colours, beyond regions, beyond narrow sectoral interests.
“We have to reset the electricity regime, and the first point is to relieve the current pressure on society through the state institutions at the local level of governance,” said Seibeb.
He further stressed that there is also the inability to pay for the services, especially in village councils and informal settlements, that have often overtaken the formal settlements in urban areas.
According to him, many factors contribute to the accumulation of debt upon the local authorities, which include the poor management of electricity revenues, where funds from electricity are used to finance the operational expenses of councils.
