Three fired for illegal power connections

THREE employees of northern electricity distributor Nored have been dismissed for illegally setting up electricity meters in the Kapako Constituency of the Kavango Region.

The Deputy Minister of Mines and Electricity, Henock Ya Kasita, yesterday confirmed in the National Council (NC) speculation by callers to radio call-in programmes, and even provided photographic proof of the illegal activities that residents in this area are said to be involved in. According to Nored rules, a structure must be within 800 metres from the power grid for it to qualify for an electricity connection without the additional cost of a transformer.With this in mind, some members of the Kapako community apparently colluded with the three Nored employees to construct small corrugated-iron structures within this prescribed zone, and pass these off as houses.The structures were subsequently fitted with electricity meters and energised, while members of the community then drew electricity from these structures using extension cables.These cables, Ya Kasita said yesterday, sometimes extended for more than a kilometre.While some beneficiaries of this illegal power supply took care to bury their cables underground, others simply left them above ground.”This was first of all very dangerous for people and animals living in the vicinity.Secondly, the manner in which the connectivity was carried out was against electricity regulatory standards,” Ya Kasita said.A Nored investigation into the matter resulted in the removal of the meters, the deputy minister said, while the workers were dismissed.”Nored also took it upon themselves to conduct meetings with the regional leadership and the local people to explain the situation and create public awareness,” he said.These consultations, he said, are still ongoing.The deputy minister mentioned this incident during his contribution to the review of the new Electricity Bill.The bill came a step closer to becoming law yesterday, when it was read for a second time.A day before, the controversial Labour Bill was read a second time.Both these bills will now progress to the committee stage.A spokesperson for Nored, Neville Nelundua, confirmed the incident yesterday, but said that it was an internal matter.He declined to comment on when exactly these illegal and substandard connections were made or discovered, and on whether the company had laid criminal charges against its former employees.”What I can say to the public is that this is not the way to do it.It has also cost us a lot of revenue,” he said.According to Nored rules, a structure must be within 800 metres from the power grid for it to qualify for an electricity connection without the additional cost of a transformer.With this in mind, some members of the Kapako community apparently colluded with the three Nored employees to construct small corrugated-iron structures within this prescribed zone, and pass these off as houses.The structures were subsequently fitted with electricity meters and energised, while members of the community then drew electricity from these structures using extension cables.These cables, Ya Kasita said yesterday, sometimes extended for more than a kilometre. While some beneficiaries of this illegal power supply took care to bury their cables underground, others simply left them above ground.”This was first of all very dangerous for people and animals living in the vicinity.Secondly, the manner in which the connectivity was carried out was against electricity regulatory standards,” Ya Kasita said.A Nored investigation into the matter resulted in the removal of the meters, the deputy minister said, while the workers were dismissed.”Nored also took it upon themselves to conduct meetings with the regional leadership and the local people to explain the situation and create public awareness,” he said.These consultations, he said, are still ongoing.The deputy minister mentioned this incident during his contribution to the review of the new Electricity Bill.The bill came a step closer to becoming law yesterday, when it was read for a second time.A day before, the controversial Labour Bill was read a second time.Both these bills will now progress to the committee stage. A spokesperson for Nored, Neville Nelundua, confirmed the incident yesterday, but said that it was an internal matter.He declined to comment on when exactly these illegal and substandard connections were made or discovered, and on whether the company had laid criminal charges against its former employees.”What I can say to the public is that this is not the way to do it.It has also cost us a lot of revenue,” he said.