Tsumeb blackouts drag on as Cenored denies crisis

Months after residents and businesses at Tsumeb first raised concerns about persistent electricity interruptions, the situation remains unchanged.

Business owners say the outages have not only slowed down operations but have also resulted in significant financial losses and damaged equipment.

Goal Maize Factory manager Walter Carelse says the electricity situation has not improved since last year and continues to affect both his milling factory and diner.

“It’s exactly the same for both businesses. The delays in the delivery of maize meal and the constant maintenance of equipment are taking a toll. My equipment keeps breaking down. I’ve spent close to N$300 000 just on maintenance and repairs,” Carelse says.

He adds that he has repeatedly contacted the Central North Regional Electricity Distributor (Cenored) for assistance, with no success.

Carelse says the power cuts last between 30 minutes and three hours, sometimes longer.

“Exactly two Sundays ago, they took the whole day to do maintenance, and residents were happy about that because we were expecting a reliable supply afterwards, but the outages continued just last week and this week,” he adds.

This Tuesday the Tsumeb municipality shared a public notice from Cenored on its social media pages announcing yet another scheduled interruption.

According to the statement, the outage affected the entire industrial area, including Goal Maize, Natis, TransNamib, the municipality’s borehole pumps and sewage system, Ces Auto Trading, Henred Fruehauf Tsumeb, Vivo Energy Depot, Afrox, Oshikoto Auto Electric, Steel Africa Tsumeb, Commercial Truck Parts Africa, Auto Tech, FP du Toit Transport, Power Line Africa, Henning Crusher, Tosas Namibia and Agra.

Tsumeb-based activist and Affirmative Repositioning Oshikoto leader Johannes John says residents have been patient for too long, and the situation is worsening.

“As residents, we have been very patient with Cenored, but it’s getting worse. Even when there’s just a sign of rain, the electricity goes off,” John says.

He says the continued blackouts are affecting both businesses and households, adding that Cenored has not been transparent about the root cause of the problem.

“We need them to either bring in experts to find a lasting solution or overhaul their old equipment. The situation is just not acceptable anymore,” he adds.

Tsumeb constituency councillor Gottlieb Ndjendjela confirms that residents are still experiencing frequent electricity cuts and says his office has limited power to intervene.

“The residents used to inform us. When we enquire, they sometimes say it’s the substations being serviced or copper wires being stolen. Sometimes it’s the people themselves stealing the copper wire which causes the outage,” Ndjendjela says.

He adds that the council has no authority over electricity supply, which falls under Cenored.

“There is nothing we can do. The custodian of electricity here is Cenored. And if they have nothing to do, they don’t have extra generators to supply different areas, there is nothing we can do,” he says.

However, Cenored spokesperson Chali Matengu denies claims of ongoing, widespread outages.

“We don’t have such things. We operate in a regulated industry, and we have standards that regulators want us to uphold. If there were constant power outages, the Electricity Control Board would have been alerted,” Matengu says.

He explains that Cenored has “stakeholder champions” in every area who serve as links between the community and the company.

“When you are talking about a power outage, there is no such thing as one that affects the whole town unless it’s planned maintenance. Planned outages are communicated at least 14 to 21 days in advance through radio, social media and posters,” he says.

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