A 38-year-old Namibian man was apprehended by Nshimwe security guards at Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi Region while he was digging for copper cables.

The suspect was handed over to the police, who charged him with theft.

Two other suspects managed to escape arrest.

The NORED Regional Manager for Operations in the Zambezi Region, Sylvester Chaka, who was at the scene, told nbc News that they carried out investigations after realising that the town centre was without power.

The Ndonga Linena Green Scheme farm manager, Jannor Rentel, fears that an electricity outage may affect the farm's current planting season's yield.

Rentel says the power outage at the green scheme has become prevalent.

Rentel noted that NORED needs to act urgently on the matter.

He says that for the past three months, they've experienced power outages for at least three consecutive days.

NORED customers in the Oshana Region owe the electricity utility N$3.6 million.

Of this, N$734,000 has been outstanding for more than a year.

The information was shared during the hearing of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources and Development at Oshakati on the motion to write off historic electricity and water debts in the Oshana, Oshikoto, and Otjozondjupa Regions.

The motion was tabled by the Landless People's Movement's (LPM) MP, Henny Seibeb.

The Shamundambo Village in the Kavango East Region, which has been without electricity for the past 33 years, has finally been electrified.

Ever since independence, Shambundambo residents have had to travel to Divundu to take care of all their electricity-related business, something that, they say, has been an inconvenience.

The installation of a transformer and wires stretches 685 metres into the village.

The electrification project was funded by surcharges, which are funds that the regional council gets from NORED. 

National power utility, NamPower’s debt collection plans have been cut short after Cabinet intervention.

NamPower was due to affect Stage 2 of power cuts on Monday and Tuesday this week, between 17H00 and 21H00.

Cabinet, however, directed the power utility not to continue with its debt collection plan, saying that the line ministries would meet and discuss the huge debt owed to Nampower by local authorities and NORED.

Nampower last week defied the Cabinet directive and forged ahead with the power cuts.

NamPower has issued a statement clarifying why it defied a Cabinet directive instructing the power utility not to forge ahead with the power cuts it executed on Monday.

NamPower Managing Director Simson Haulofu confirmed that the company received the communication on the Cabinet Directive from the Minister of Finance and Public Enterprises, which directed it not to forge ahead with the planned power cuts, on Monday.

NamPower switched off electricity to several defaulting local authorities and NORED on Monday.

The residents of the four northern regions were also affected by the power outages initiated by NamPower yesterday.

The town of Ondangwa was the first to face the consequences of NamPower, as their electricity was disconnected shortly after 17h00. 

Subsequently, power cuts were implemented in Ongwediva, Oshikuku, Eenhana, Outapi, and other towns and villages.

NamPower will waive all interest on outstanding debt accumulated over the past twelve months, provided that customers settle outstanding amounts before the end of this month.

Customers owe the power utility over a billion dollars, with N$842 million overdue.