Acting CEO orders meter unblocked at director’s hotel owing N$325 000
Nored acting chief executive Toivo Shovaleka ordered an engineer to restore electricity to a hotel run by board director Simeon Uahengo – despite the property owing the electricity distributor N$325 000.
Shovaleka also reprimanded the engineer for blocking the meter of Princess Hotel at Oshikango.
Documents, which The Namibian has seen, show the account is held by Epic Trading Enterprises, a business registered or linked to Simeon Uahengo.
Uahengo, who indicates on his LinkedIn account that he is a member and business promoter of Epic Trading Enterprises CC, did not respond to requests for comment yesterday.
The Northern Regional Electricity Distributor’s acting CEO’s instruction is contained in a letter dated 2 October – nine days after the board appointed him in that role.
Nored in June 2024 said it would cut off customers whose accounts were 30 days or more in arrears, while it worked to settle its own debt to NamPower.
Shovaleka says Nored’s position would be the same even if the owner were a director, because a customer is a customer.
Now, the company is being accused of double standards and shielding its director.
METER BLOCKED
A Nored engineer, Manfried Uvanga initially blocked the electricity meter on 29 September.
In a letter dated 2 October, Shovaleka questioned Uvanga’s authority to block the meter, arguing that the engineer had no valid basis for the action despite citing an ongoing investigation into the installation.
“The reason you have advanced for blocking this meter is that the installation is under investigation.
I have no issue with the investigation of the installation. Mr Uvanga, you have no basis neither the authority for blocking this meter for the reason you have stated on the system,” Shovaleka writes in the letter.
He further dismisses Uvanga’s claim that he had been instructed to block the meter, insisting that any such instruction had to be valid and procedurally sound.
“Your claim that you were instructed to block this meter holds no grounds, because an instruction must be valid and procedurally sound,” the acting CEO states.
Shovaleka then directs Uvanga to restore the electricity supply immediately, invoking his authority as acting CEO following his appointment by Nored’s board of directors on 23 September.
“Accordingly, I hereby, in my capacity as the acting CEO, duly appointed by the board of directors on 23 September 2026, instruct you to immediately unblock the above meter upon receipt of this letter,” he wrote nine days after his appointment.
Shovaleka was appointed as acting CEO following the suspension of Nored CEO Silvester Wayiti late last month.
He also demanded written confirmation that the instruction had been carried out.
Uahengo, who was appointed to Nored’s board in 2024, did not respond to questions sent to him by WhatsApp or email yesterday.
He read a WhatsApp message at about 14h00 but did not reply. He did not answer six calls to his cellphones yesterday either.
NO COMMENT
Nored board director Johannes Uushini yesterday said: “I don’t comment on things I don’t know.”
Shovaleka yesterday said he does not comment on issues related to Nored customers in the media. He added he does not know who owns Princess Hotel.
“We don’t discuss customers’ issues with the media; we have our confidentiality clause between the customer and Nored.
I cannot confirm who owns the hotel, but let me tell you, even if it was the director, the position remains the same, a customer is a customer . . . we need to treat customers fairly,” he said.
Shovaleka said he has never encountered a situation where debts accumulate on prepaid meters.
“I’ve been in the industry for the past 24 years and I’ve never come across that,” he said.
‘BYPASSED METER’
Earlier this year, Nored disconnected electricity supply to business premises owned by northern businessman Johannes Kambwela.
In a recent social media video, Kambwela says Nored has accused him of electricity theft and fraud after allegedly discovering that prepaid power units worth roughly N$7.1 million were used without payment via a bypassed meter system.
Kambwela has denied stealing electricity, saying his businesses use prepaid power.
He claimed he was unaware of any connection irregularities and blamed a long-time contractor, whom he had hired to handle electrical work.
Nored distributes power to the Omusati, Oshana, Ohangwena, Oshikoto, Kavango East, Kavango West and Zambezi regions, as well as parts of the Kunene region.
However, the company has been rocked by long-running power struggles.
Two years ago, Nored disconnected defaulting customers’ electricity supply.
Following a notice a few weeks ago, spokesperson Simon Lukas confirmed that the electricity distributor has gone ahead with the drastic measure to cut defaulting customers’ supply.
“We’ve started with the suspension of electricity to defaulting customers from the Kunene to the Zambezi region where we operate.”
Customers who have been in arrears for 30 days or more have been affected.
“To enable Nored to continue delivering on its mandate, it is important that customers honour their commitment of paying their electricity bills on time,” the company says.
