OUTJO: Hundreds of Outjo informal settlement residents on Tuesday matched the streets here to demand CENORED electrify their houses and shacks.

The worried residents here come from the Herero location, Build Together, Camp Five and Camp Four in the Etoshapoort township of Outjo.

The group spokesperson, Leon /Aib handed a signed petition to the Central Northern Regional Electricity Distributor (CENORED)’s Technical Area Manager, Emil Kuhanga on Tuesday.

In the petition, residents complain that they have waited for too long for the houses and shacks to be electrified by CENORED.

“It has been for more than 10-years that we have been kept waiting for electricity on empty promises of CENORED,” stated the petition.

The petitioning resident says that the education of their children is being hampered as a result, because their children cannot study at home after school hours.

They said that the use of paraffin lamps and candles during night has lit their shacks and lives and properties were lost.

The group also criticised CENORED officials in Outjo for being rude once they inquire on when will their houses and shacks receive electricity.

The Outjo concerned group of people has now given CENORED 14 working days to react on their concerns before apparently they start to bypass electricity from nearby CENORED transformers to their houses.

“We will connect from any nearby transformers and switches erected by CENORED around our locations,” they threatened.

Outjo Constituency Councillor, Abraham Job also registered the same concerns against CENORED.

“I have been at the office of CENORED’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) several times on this issue. He kept promising that he will consider my people and up to now he has done nothing,” said a venerable Job here.

Approached for comment on Tuesday, Mburumba Appolus told Nampa that there is nothing special with Outjo town, it has to wait.

“Outjo residents want to jump the queue. There are other informal settlements waiting to be electrified even here in Otjiwarongo,” said Appolus in self defense.

He said that his office is aware of the seriousness-need to electrify informal settlements in Outjo and other towns, but lack of resources also is another factor holding back the implementation of the plan.

OUTJOL; Hundreds of Outjo residents, mainly from the informal settlements, staged a demonstration here on Tuesday demanding for the electrification of their houses and shacks.

The unhappy residents came specifically from Herero location, Build Together, Camp Five and Camp Four in the Etoshapoort township of Outjo.

Group spokesperson, Leon /Aib handed over a signed petition to the Technical Area Manager of the Central Northern Regional Electricity Distributor (CENORED), Emil Kuhanga on Tuesday, detailing their grievances and demands.

In the petition, residents complained that they have waited for too long for their houses and shacks to be electrified by CENORED.

“We have been waiting for electricity for more than 10 years now. All that we’ve been getting are just empty promises from CENORED,” the petition stated.

The petitioning residents said the education of their children is being compromised as a result of this lack of electricity in their houses, because their children cannot even study at home after school hours.

Many of them said they have also lost their shacks and other valuable properties due to their reliance on the risky use of paraffin lamps and candles at night.

The group further criticised officials of the electricity distributor in Outjo for being rude and uncooperative to clients, when people enquire about the supply of electricity to their houses and shacks.

The Outjo Concerned Group has given CENORED only 14 working days to react on their concerns. They have also threatened to bypass electricity and make illegal electricity connections from nearby CENORED transformers to their houses, if the company does not heed their call.

“We will connect from any nearby transformers and switches erected by CENORED around our locations,” they said.

Outjo Constituency Councillor, Abraham Job also expressed similar concern against CENORED.

“I have been at the office of CENORED’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mburumba Appolus several times on this issue. He kept promising me that he will consider my people, but up to now he has done nothing,” said Job.

Approached for his reaction to the accusations on Tuesday, Appolus told Nampa that the residents of Outjo will have to wait for services like everybody else.

“Outjo residents want to jump the queue. There are other informal settlements waiting to be electrified even here in Otjiwarongo,” said Appolus.

He said his office is aware of the serious need to electrify informal settlements in Outjo, and also in other towns, but stated that the company does not have the resources to implement most of these plans at once.