Electricity tariff hikes
VENITUS MARIUS GORASEB WRITES:
The All People’s Party (APP) is deeply disturbed by the recently announced electricity tariff hikes in Windhoek.
These increases come at a time when Namibians are already struggling under harsh economic conditions, high unemployment, escalating food prices, and stagnant wages. The decision to burden consumers further with higher electricity costs raises serious questions about the relevance and effectiveness of Namibia’s regulatory authorities, particularly the Electricity Control Board (ECB), electricity distributors, and local councils.
The original mandate of the Electricity Control Board, as established by law, is clear: to regulate the electricity supply industry in a manner that ensures affordable, reliable, and fair access to electricity while protecting the interests of consumers. Sadly, the current state of affairs demonstrates the opposite. Instead of acting as a shield for ordinary citizens, the ECB and related institutions appear to have become complicit in policies that deepen inequality and worsen the standard of living for the majority.
It is no secret that the cost of electricity has, for years, been inflated by multiple layers of “middlemen.” From the ECB’s levies, to regional electricity distributors, to municipal mark-ups, the consumer ultimately receives less than 40% of the true value of what they pay for. The bulk of electricity payments is diverted into administrative overheads, exorbitant executive salaries, and generous perks for officials – while the end-user, the ordinary Namibian, is left to suffer in darkness or sacrifice other necessities to keep the lights on.
The APP strongly believes that regulatory authorities are failing in their primary duty to protect consumers. If anything, they have become part of the problem, legitimising unjustified tariff increases under the pretext of maintaining “security of supply” or “industry sustainability.” What is sustainable about a system that forces households and small businesses into poverty? What is just about passing on inefficiencies, mismanagement, and inflated benefits packages to the very citizens regulators are supposed to defend?
Namibia cannot afford a regulatory system that is detached from the realities of ordinary people. When electricity becomes a luxury rather than a basic necessity, when small businesses struggle to survive due to rising operational costs, and when households must choose between buying food and paying for power, then the system has failed.
The All People’s Party calls for:
1. A comprehensive review of the Electricity Control Board’s mandate and operations to ensure that it genuinely serves the interests of the people, not the pockets of executives.
2. Transparency in tariff structures so that consumers know exactly how much of their payments go to electricity generation, transmission, distribution, and levies.
3. An immediate freeze on unjustifiable tariff hikes until Namibia’s economic conditions improve and until a fair pricing model is implemented.
4. Parliamentary oversight hearings to hold regulatory authorities, electricity distributors, and local councils accountable for the disproportionate burden being placed on citizens.
Electricity is not a privilege; it is a necessity for modern living and economic development. The APP will continue to champion the cause of ordinary Namibians who deserve affordable, fair, and reliable access to electricity.
If regulators cannot protect consumers, then their existence must be questioned. Namibia needs institutions that are relevant to the realities of its people, not detached bureaucracies that perpetuate inequality. The APP stands firm in its resolve: We will not remain silent while citizens are exploited under the guise of regulation.
* Beste lesers, keuring vir die publikasie van WhatsApp, briewe en alle ander lesersbydraes berus by Republikein. Klagtes oor die diens van private besighede word eers aan die onderneming vir reaksie voorgelê. Die menings van ons lesers en rubriekskrywers verteenwoordig nie noodwendig die standpunt van Republikein nie. Republikein is ’n lid van die Redakteursforum van Namibië (EFN) en onderskryf die etiese kode vir die Namibiese media soos toegepas deur die media-ombudsman.
The All People’s Party (APP) is deeply disturbed by the recently announced electricity tariff hikes in Windhoek.
These increases come at a time when Namibians are already struggling under harsh economic conditions, high unemployment, escalating food prices, and stagnant wages. The decision to burden consumers further with higher electricity costs raises serious questions about the relevance and effectiveness of Namibia’s regulatory authorities, particularly the Electricity Control Board (ECB), electricity distributors, and local councils.
The original mandate of the Electricity Control Board, as established by law, is clear: to regulate the electricity supply industry in a manner that ensures affordable, reliable, and fair access to electricity while protecting the interests of consumers. Sadly, the current state of affairs demonstrates the opposite. Instead of acting as a shield for ordinary citizens, the ECB and related institutions appear to have become complicit in policies that deepen inequality and worsen the standard of living for the majority.
It is no secret that the cost of electricity has, for years, been inflated by multiple layers of “middlemen.” From the ECB’s levies, to regional electricity distributors, to municipal mark-ups, the consumer ultimately receives less than 40% of the true value of what they pay for. The bulk of electricity payments is diverted into administrative overheads, exorbitant executive salaries, and generous perks for officials – while the end-user, the ordinary Namibian, is left to suffer in darkness or sacrifice other necessities to keep the lights on.
The APP strongly believes that regulatory authorities are failing in their primary duty to protect consumers. If anything, they have become part of the problem, legitimising unjustified tariff increases under the pretext of maintaining “security of supply” or “industry sustainability.” What is sustainable about a system that forces households and small businesses into poverty? What is just about passing on inefficiencies, mismanagement, and inflated benefits packages to the very citizens regulators are supposed to defend?
Namibia cannot afford a regulatory system that is detached from the realities of ordinary people. When electricity becomes a luxury rather than a basic necessity, when small businesses struggle to survive due to rising operational costs, and when households must choose between buying food and paying for power, then the system has failed.
The All People’s Party calls for:
1. A comprehensive review of the Electricity Control Board’s mandate and operations to ensure that it genuinely serves the interests of the people, not the pockets of executives.
2. Transparency in tariff structures so that consumers know exactly how much of their payments go to electricity generation, transmission, distribution, and levies.
3. An immediate freeze on unjustifiable tariff hikes until Namibia’s economic conditions improve and until a fair pricing model is implemented.
4. Parliamentary oversight hearings to hold regulatory authorities, electricity distributors, and local councils accountable for the disproportionate burden being placed on citizens.
Electricity is not a privilege; it is a necessity for modern living and economic development. The APP will continue to champion the cause of ordinary Namibians who deserve affordable, fair, and reliable access to electricity.
If regulators cannot protect consumers, then their existence must be questioned. Namibia needs institutions that are relevant to the realities of its people, not detached bureaucracies that perpetuate inequality. The APP stands firm in its resolve: We will not remain silent while citizens are exploited under the guise of regulation.
* Beste lesers, keuring vir die publikasie van WhatsApp, briewe en alle ander lesersbydraes berus by Republikein. Klagtes oor die diens van private besighede word eers aan die onderneming vir reaksie voorgelê. Die menings van ons lesers en rubriekskrywers verteenwoordig nie noodwendig die standpunt van Republikein nie. Republikein is ’n lid van die Redakteursforum van Namibië (EFN) en onderskryf die etiese kode vir die Namibiese media soos toegepas deur die media-ombudsman.
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