Nored board chairperson gets the boot

Nored board chairperson Johannes Uushini has been disqualified and his tenure terminated as a director of both the northern power distributor and the Local Authority Electricity Company (LAEC), after he failed to secure re-election to the Okahao town council in November 2025.

Uushini sat on the Nored board by virtue of his position as an Okahao town council councillor. With the town council being a shareholder in Nored, Uushini served as its representative on the power distributor's board.

The councillor, who represented Swapo, lost his seat in last year's election but continued to lead Nored despite no longer having any link to the town council he had represented.

In a letter dated 15 September, LAEC board chairperson Simataa Mubonda informed Uushini that the decision was taken following the formal LAEC shareholders' continuation meeting held on 11 September.

The letter noted that shareholder representatives deliberated on Uushini's governance mandate and corporate standing within the utility's structures.

The representatives concluded that because Uushini failed to secure re-election, his representative mandate automatically ceased on that date.

Immediate effect

The assembly subsequently resolved that Uushini was disqualified and that his tenure as a director of both LAEC and Nored was automatically terminated with immediate effect.

The decision was made in accordance with Section 8.4 of the LAEC shareholders' agreement, according to the letter.

Uushini was further informed that he is no longer entitled to attend or participate in board meetings or act on behalf of LAEC or Nored in any capacity as a director, representative or chairperson.

He was also instructed to return all company property, documents, technical reports, assets and information in his possession relating to his former duties as a director to the company secretary within 14 days of the notice.

The LAEC assembly also unanimously rejected an administrative term extension request submitted by the Nored board vice-chairperson.

According to Mubonda's letter, the assembly ruled that any external attempt to dictate or prolong the tenure directly conflicts with the exclusive legal authority vested in LAEC.

When reached for comment, Mubonda said he could not comment on the matter at the time, as he was at work.

Uushini claimed he had not yet been notified of the decision when contacted for comment.

"Where did you hear about this news? I had no idea about it," he told Namibian Sun, declining to comment further on why he continued serving on the board after failing to secure re-election.

He also would not say whether he intends to repay any money he received as a board member over the past 10 months.

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