Omitara
The absence of TV or radio reception at Omitara could soon be history as there are plans to set up a new TV transmitter at Okorukambe constituency.
The head of corporate affairs at the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), Umbi Karuaihe-Upi, confirmed this following complaints by Omitara residents who spoke to New Era about not being kept abreast with current affairs due to a lack of television and radio reception.
Disgruntled residents said the situation has been like that for many years and that despite paying their television licences and buying decoders, they cannot watch NBC TV channels.
“But people at a farm just three kilometres from here have access to NBC. It’s just us,” said Dominikes Ganeb, a resident of Omitara recently. He explained that people who are well off have DStv while those who cannot afford DStv only watch DVDs on their television sets.
“The situation has been like this for years. Even with the new NBC decoders people still cannot watch NBC yet they are paying their TV licenses,” said Ganeb.
According to him there have been promises from NBC that they will address the problem of the transmitter. “We have the same problem with radio,” said Ganeb. Another resident, Erich Bendt, said the situation has been like that since he started working at the settlement in 1998.
“Even the old people are complaining that they pay N$60 but they cannot follow what is happening in and around the country,” said Bendt. The residents added that they have the same problem with the mobile network.
“At present there is no radio or television reception in the Omitara area. A new site is being planned for Steinhausen (Okorukambe) which will address the problem. NBC will announce in due course the planned switch date for the Steinhausen (Okorukambe) site,” revealed Karuaihe-Upi.