The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation has expressed concern over vandalism and theft of equipment at the Brukkaros transmission tower near Berseba in the ||Kharas Region.

The corporation's Chief Commercial Officer, Nico Mwiya, highlighted the concerns during the MICY's high-level engagement at Keetmanshoop.

Mwiya said the acts of theft and vandalism frequently knock radio services in the area offline.

He added the targeted transmission tower infrastructure has a high replacement cost.

“We need to work together with the community to address these challenges. Whenever you witness such incidents, please report them to the police, as they are affecting our operations. There are several challenges we are facing, but I want to highlight some of the critical ones. This is a helicopter-accessible site, which means that repairing it requires us to coordinate with stakeholders such as the Namibian Police or the Namibian Defence Force. We also need to fly to the site to assess the extent of the damage. If we discover that FM transmission equipment has been stolen, replacing it is not a straightforward process. We cannot simply walk into a shop and purchase the equipment. We have to follow a formal bidding process, and some of the suppliers of FM transmission equipment are based in Italy. The procurement and delivery process can take up to a year. We therefore appeal to the community to help us protect this infrastructure by reporting any suspicious activities or incidents of theft. We need your support.”

Mwiya also highlighted that limited access to internet connectivity restricts live TV broadcasting in some places in the region.