Stefanus Nashama
The Landless People’s Movement (LPM) has accused the NamPower Chairperson, Daniel Motinga, of running the parastatal like his private company.
LPM National Spokesperson, Lifalaza Simataa, yesterday said there is a disconnect between the mandate of NamPower as a State-Owned Enterprise and that of the current chairperson.
He claimed Motinga lacks understanding of how NamPower is supposed to work for the interest of the public, and because of that, he has no consideration of what happens to the general public.
Motinga reportedly threatened to resign from his position, due to the constant political interference he has experienced during his tenure.
A source said Motinga submitted his resignation last week Monday, and it is still not clear if it was accepted.
This follows after NamPower announced that it will cut off the electricity connection of 19 local authorities because of unserviced debt.
At the time, NamPower indicated that it is owed N$1,5 billion.
Simataa yesterday said NamPower, under the guidance of Motinga initially ignored calls to halt the plan but eventually surrendered to what he and other unelected public commentators characterized as political interference by the Cabinet. Sources said the division of NamPower directors over the decision to bow down to political pressure from the Cabinet and the Minister of Finance and Public Enterprise, Iipumbu Shiimi, forced Motinga to tender his resignation.
NamPower’s Managing Director, Kahenge Simson Haulofu, yesterday told this publication that he is not aware of Motinga’s plan to resign. He added that Motinga is still the NamPower board Chairman.
“We just read about the resignation in the media. We do not know anything about that and I do not know where the media is getting that information from,” he said.
Haulofu also clarified that there is no division in NamPower or the board of directors and stated that the parastatal has never received any political pressure from anybody.
He said LPM is a political party and it can say what it wants.
“NamPower is not a political party. It is a parastatal doing its work according to its mandate. No one is running NamPower as a private company,” Haulofu added.
He added that the LPM will always create stories and paint NamPower in a negative light, with false claims.
Simataa claimed that Motinga was brutal and unscrupulous in his assertion of demanding payment immediately for services that were delivered during the meeting between NamPower and several councillors in Windhoek.
Simataa said this displays extraordinary and unlimited arrogance in Motinga’s “cantankerous and nefariousness“ attitude toward the public and the elected representatives.
Efforts to get comment from Motinga and NamPower spokesperson were not successful.
Smataa claimed, in a strongly worded statement that the brutality and inhumanity of Motinga and his unelected gang is evident by their irrational interruption of electricity supply regardless of hospitals, school hostels and the elderly being left in the dark, in the cold of the winter.
He said that NamPower’s actions are against the mandate of a State-Owned Enterprise, which is to provide services to the public.
“We begin to wonder if it is a display of a disconnect between the general public and the purpose of NamPower, or is it cruelty and harshness to try and force the hands of the general public in some form of sadistic shakedown,” Simataa added.
He stated that for Motinga to claim political interference is unfounded, adding that Nampower is a State-Owned Enterprise that should carry out the mandate of the government. Simataa further reiterated that it is the government’s place to express direction, express goals, and safeguard the needs of the general public Motinga failed as a Chairperson.
“His threat to resign is misplaced as he is in the wrong and needs to reacquaint himself with the purpose of Nampower and the goals,” he said.
The LPM suggested that Motinga focuses on solution-orientated approaches and move away from the status quo, where Nampower has adopted the stance of an intermediary to purchase electricity elsewhere and charge the Namibian citizens.
Simataa said he believes it is a model that will exhaust the middle class while considering that prices are increasing which eliminates the buying power of Namibians that are not able to keep pace.
“The LPM understands that NamPower has failed to produce half of Namibia’s needs and even so, is not consistent with what it can generate,” he said.
According to Simataa, there is no progress in the NamPower department with regard to generating power within the country.
“Having this status quo, we will continue to be at the mercy of international suppliers who will, continue to look at us, as cash cows, and will continue to increase the prizing to maximize their profit at the expense of the ordinary Namibian citizen,” he explained.
The LPM is of the opinion that if there is more focus on power generation, Namibia can also begin selling large quantities of electricity to international markets to generate a profit and better serve the Namibian market.
However, the party says it is surprised that Motinga, who is an economist, still clings to the method of Nampower being an intermediary without the ability to control the narrative while at the mercy of international suppliers.
Simataa yesterday stressed that the county has vast resources within that can be used to generate power instead of depending on an intermediary.
Although NamPower has shares of 45 percent in Cenored, 33 percent in Nored, and 10 percent in Erongo Red, he said such large shares in these entities express their failure, as they form large shares of entities that they express, are indebted to them.
“This expression shows a flaw in communication, leadership, and alignment of goals and not being able to foresee the arising issue. This shows a level of incompetence and failure on their behalf,” Simataa remarked.
