Editorial: NamPower political interference dangerous

Government’s decision this week to pressure NamPower into being lenient on clients that are failing to pay for electricity supplied should not be left unchallenged.We have seen over the years how political interference in the affairs of state-owned enterprises pushed some of them into bankruptcy.The likes of Air Namibia and the Roads Contractor Company, who were the playing fields for ignorant politicians, have been lowered into their graves. In the case of Air Namibia, politicians threatened the company’s executives who wanted to be relieved of the Windhoek-Frankfurt route, their most loss-making. Politicians insisted the route was important for tourism. The end result was liquidation.While we are cognisant of the fact that government is the shareholder in public enterprises, it cannot be right that such entities are forced to abandon their own policies and their founding acts of parliament for populist sentimentalism and political expediency.Finance minister Ipumbu Shiimi comes from a highly demanding corporate environment where governance architecture is strong and sensitive to external interference. He was successful at the Bank of Namibia as governor because he benefitted from the culture of strict professionalism and non-interference. When did he forget the benefit of this?The electricity sector is one of the key drivers of our economy. We must therefore refrain from taking any steps that threaten its stability and security. We cannot sacrifice NamPower at the altar of appeasing chronic defaulters.

Editorial: NamPower political interference dangerous

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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Editorial: NamPower political interference dangerous

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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