EDITORIAL: A grand failure of leadership

Parts of Namibia are currently without regular electricity, which is a sharp reminder of our nation's failure of leadership.

While we frequently criticise political leaders, especially heads of state and ministers, we tend to leave other rungs of the hierarchy fairly blame-free and impervious.

And when leaders, particularly corporate executives, feel exonerated from responsibility, they often don't care about the results of their actions or lack thereof.

Why sweat it if Swapo or Hage Geingob will be blamed for their failure, especially by the media and their opponents in the opposition?

While political leaders are held accountable at the polls every five years, leaders of failed public enterprises frequently get away with their industry-scale failures.

While some want to blame NamPower for its dramatic decision to cut the power, the local authority officials and regional electricity distributors are ultimately responsible for this risky enterprise.

These disruptions have harmed the lives and futures of Namibian children who rely on power to study for the current school examinations. Criminals will exploit the cover of darkness to carry out their nefarious delinquencies, as police chiefs predicted in today's Namibian Sun.

But as is typical of Namibia, this will be shrugged off as just another episode of nothingness. Executives will continue to receive their fat salaries and year-end bonuses for their grand failure.