THE former chief executive officer of the Electricity Control Board and permanent secretary of mines and energy Siseho Chibeya Simasiku has died.
He was 69.
Simasiku, who played a key role in the development of the country’s economy and established an independent electricity regulatory body (ECB) in 2000, died yesterday at Katutura Intermediate Hospital.
His son Oscar Simasiku, confirmed his father’s death.
“My father died after he was admitted in October last year for a double stroke and a heart attack,” said Oscar.
Former colleague and diamond commissioner Kennedy Hamutenya said it was sad to hear about the passing of Simasiku.
“He was a good man, and a gentleman. Sincere condolences to his family, friends and loved ones. Rest in peace, Mr Simasiku,” said Hamutenya.
Permanent secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister Andrew Ndishishi described Simasiku’s death as unfortunate.
“It is sad that a great man like Simasiku died like that. My deepest condolences go out to his family. May his soul rest in peace,” Ndishishi said.
Before establishing the ECB in 2000, Simasiku worked for the Ministry of Mines and Energy which he joined in 1993 as a chief energy researcher. In 1995, he was appointed director of energy and in 1997 as the permanent secretary of mines and energy.
Simasiku qualified as an electrical engineer in 1978 from the Slovak Technical University in Czechoslovakia. He specialised in the construction and operation of nuclear power plants, making him one of the first black Namibians to study nuclear engineering, especially in heavy current.
His first job after graduating in 1978 was as a lecturer at the University of Zambia in electrical machines and power systems, where he worked for a year before joining the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (Zesco) for three years.
“Simasiku’s passing is not only a loss to his family, but a heavy loss to the energy sector in particular, and the Namibian nation in general. You can hardly talk about the energy sector without mentioning the name Siseho Simasiku.
We will remember him as the gentle giant of the Namibian electricity supply industry,” the ECB said in a statement yesterday.
He is survived by his wife, six children and five grandchildren.
