Electricity Control Board (ECB) CEO, Robert Kahimise, recently criticized the northern Namibia regional Electricity Distributor (Nored) over electrocution incidents, some resulting in fatalities.
The ECB, mandated to address safety, developed the Namibia Electricity Safety Code (NESC), published in Government Gazette No. 4821 on 31 October 2011. The NESC sets minimum safety standards for power system operation, maintenance, construction, and installation in Namibia.
Between 2022 and 2025, the Electricity Supply Industry (ESI) recorded 17 electrical accidents: eight fatalities, five hospitalizations, and 22 people affected.
Seven incidents occurred under Nored’s jurisdiction, while the City of Windhoek and Cenored each registered three, Nampower two, and Erongo RED and Kameelboom Power Supply one each.
“The ECB has been closely monitoring incident trends within the ESI, and the number saw a significant increase in 2023. This trend calls for immediate intervention from both the regulator and the ESI licensees to ensure that safety is restored within the industry,” Kahimise stated at an ECB information sharing gathering.
While the ECB proposed general interventions for ESI safety incidents, specific interventions addressed Nored’s high accident rate.
“An independent industry expert was appointed to investigate the 2024 fatality involving a Nored employee, and specific directives were issued to Nored management for implementation. Nored implemented 70% of ECB’s safety directives,” Kahimise said.
He added that the ECB conducted a preliminary investigation into the four 2025 fatalities, awaiting full reports from Nored and Namwater.
A preliminary report from Nored indicated that an employee was electrocuted on 10 March 2025 while working on live low-voltage reticulation, attempting to reconnect a customer.
“Although live work is permitted under the NESC, it was found that the deceased was not authorized to work on live wires and did not follow the correct procedures, including the use of appropriate protective clothing. The post-mortem results are awaited to confirm the cause of death,” Kahimise revealed.
Regarding the two Namwater employees, they were replacing a pump cage winch on 20 February 2025 and were exposed to electricity in wet conditions.
“It is suspected that whilst replacing the winch, the pump automatically energised and resulted in the electrocution of the two employees. This occurred as a result of working on live electricity infrastructure, in contravention of the NESC. The postmortem results are also awaited to confirm the exact cause of death,” Kahimise added.
Preliminary findings indicate that a guest at a Nkurenkuru Constituency guest house was electrocuted on 19 February 2025 while showering, due to energized shower piping.
Nored discovered that the guest house connection was not inspected by a Nored Technical Inspector during commissioning, lacking a valid Test Report or Certificate of Compliance.
“As a result, the building’s wiring was not properly installed according to wiring Standards, with the earthing not correctly set up to initiate disconnection of power in the event that any building conductive materials came into contact with electricity. These types of connections are illegal connections according to the ECB Technical Rules,” the CEO said, urging the public to use contractors registered by distribution licensees for new connections and extensions. The post-mortem results are also pending.

DIRECTIVES

To prevent similar incidents in the Nored area, the ECB instructed that Nored employees not work on live low or medium-voltage networks, and only work under the Nored System Controller’s direct instruction, as per NESC.
“Nored must ensure that all customers with their own medium voltage networks (e.g., NamWater, malls, etc.) immediately submit proof of authorized operators as required by NESC. If no authorized operators are available, Nored should take over operations of those networks,” Kahimise said.
He instructed Nored to complete its investigation into the illegal connection leading to the guest house death, and not restore power until the connection is rewired, inspected, and issued a certificate of compliance.
“Nored must assess the system controller’s actions to determine negligence in failing to order the ABC line switched off, resulting in the Nored employee’s electrocution, and take appropriate disciplinary action. [Also] Nored employees must inspect possible illegal connections and extensions, especially outside townlands, when attending service calls, as these pose safety risks and may lead to fatalities.”
The distributor was urged to monitor and address illegal connections promptly, review internal safety and operations policies for live electrical work, and implement strict sanctions against safety protocol violations.
“Any employee who contravenes these safety measures must face serious disciplinary action,” Kahimise stressed.

BREADWINNER

Ananias Iiyambo, an electrician, died after being electrocuted on duty at Okongo. Nored Spokesperson, Simon Lukas, confirmed his death. Iiyambo was the family’s sole breadwinner, having worked for the company for over 10 years, and is survived by two children. Colleagues described him as dedicated and skilled.