By Emma Kakololo WINDHOEK The City of Windhoek has called for consultations and a thorough audit of the existing regional electricity distributors (REDs) and their local authorities to evaluate their impacts and lessons learned, and to improve or to abandon the RED concept all together if it turns out to be economically unfeasible for the city or country. “The city has invested heavily in the last couple of years in its electricity provision, and now, when benefits are about to be harvested, we cannot just say ‘goodbye’. No,” Dr Bjorn von Finckenstein, chairman of the City Council’s management committee told the monthly council meeting recently. REDs have already been established in the North (Nored), the central coast (ErongoRed) and at Otjiwarongo (CenoRed), while REDs for both central and southern Namibia are under way. “Much has been said over the past few months and days about the restructuring of the electricity industry and the establishment of REDs. The establishment of a Central RED in its current form is not viable and will not be viable for our own situation in Namibia,” said Von Finckenstein, adding that the city was more than apprehensive to join a Central RED, while a number of very pertinent issues had not yet been addressed, resolved and mutually agreed upon. “The Electricity Bill before Parliament presently does not address the core problems the city has with it and consultations, before it was tabled, have not taken place with us. It is unacceptable that the biggest, and arguably, the most important role-player, was not heard, nor consulted. “As the Bill is at the moment, it is not acceptable to the city, it is not in the interest of the city, its residents or business and not in the interest of Namibia at large,” he said. He proposed consultations “in good faith and meaningful discussions” to assess the economic viability of REDs. Meanwhile, it has been reported that Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, the main economic hubs at the coast, were “hoping” to meet President Hifikepunye Pohamba next month to voice the problems they faced with their RED. Apparently, the two were fed up with what they described as poor management by ErongoRed and that they were better off before it came into existence.