25 AUGUST 2026 – WINDHOEK
Every time a copper or fibre-optic cable is deliberately cut, a
telecommunications tower is stripped of its components, or critical network
equipment is stolen, Namibia pays a price. The immediate cost is the loss of
connectivity and the expense of restoring damaged infrastructure. The wider
cost is disruption to businesses, communities and public services, and the
diversion of resources that could otherwise be invested in expanding and
improving Namibia’s communications networks.
The continued vandalism and theft of telecommunications infrastructure
should therefore concern every Namibian. What may appear to be damage
to the property of a telecommunications operator can have consequences
far beyond that operator.
A Crime, Not a Nuisance
Vandalism and theft of telecommunications infrastructure are not trivial acts of
wrongdoing, nor are they victimless crimes against faceless corporations. They
are criminal offences under Namibian law, with consequences that extend to
the wider public.
The Communications Act (No. 8 of 2009) expressly protects
telecommunications infrastructure against intentional damage and theft
related conduct. Section 117 makes it an offence to intentionally damage
telecommunications facilities belonging to another person.
Importantly, the law does not only reach the person who physically cuts a
cable, damages a tower or removes telecommunications equipment. It also
criminalises the possession of telecommunications equipment, copper wire,
optical fibre or other items used in the provision of telecommunications services
where a person knows, or in the circumstances could reasonably be expected
to have known or suspected, that those items were stolen.
This distinction matters. The market for stolen telecommunications equipment
can sustain the very conduct that causes network disruption. Those who
knowingly receive, possess or trade in stolen telecommunications infrastructure
cannot regard themselves as removed from the consequences of its theft.
Whether it involves the removal of tower components, unlawful excavation
along fibre routes, or the theft of batteries, generators, cables, and other
equipment from telecommunications sites, the consequences can be
significant.
A single act of vandalism can disconnect homes, businesses and communities.
It can interrupt access to communications services, disrupt commercial activity
and public services, and require considerable resources and time to repair. The
victims are, therefore, not limited to telecommunications operators. They
include every person, business and community that depends on the affected
network.
Telecommunications infrastructure is part of the foundation on which
Namibia’s increasingly digital economy operates. Damaging or stealing it is
consequently more than the destruction of property: it undermines the
connectivity on which the country’s economic and social development
increasingly depends.
At the heart of many incidents is a simple but destructive incentive: the resale
value of copper, metal and other network components. What may represent
a quick financial gain for an offender can translate into substantial restoration
costs and prolonged disruption for an entire community.
A Hidden Tax on Namibia’s Growth
Namibia’s telecommunications networks connect communities and provide
the infrastructure that increasingly supports banking, education, healthcare,
commerce, government services and everyday communication. Continued
investment in these networks is essential to extending connectivity and
advancing the country’s digital development. Vandalism threatens that
progress. When infrastructure is damaged, the consequences rarely end with
the replacement of a single cable or component. Restoration may require
specialised equipment, technical teams and replacement components. In
some circumstances, services may remain disrupted while repairs are
undertaken.
During that period, households may lose connectivity, businesses may struggle
to transact, students may lose access to online resources and communities
may experience interruptions to services on which they have become
increasingly dependent.
There is also an opportunity cost. Every dollar spent repeatedly replacing
infrastructure that has been deliberately destroyed is a dollar that could
potentially have been directed towards expanding networks, improving
service quality and connecting underserved communities. In that sense,
telecommunications vandalism imposes a hidden economic burden on the
country. Its cost should not be measured only in stolen cables, damaged
towers or replacement batteries. It should also be measured in disrupted
productivity, delayed investment and lost opportunities for greater digital
inclusion. For a country seeking to harness digitalisation as a driver of economic
development, that is a cost Namibia cannot afford to ignore.
Every Namibian Has a Role to Play
Combating telecommunications infrastructure vandalism cannot be left to
operators, the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) and
law-enforcement agencies alone. Communities are an important line of
defence. People who live and work near telecommunications towers, network
cabinets and cable routes are often best placed to notice unusual activity,
unauthorised excavation or the suspicious removal or transportation of
telecommunications equipment.
A sustainable response, therefore, requires cooperation between
Government, law-enforcement agencies, telecommunications operators,
CRAN, affected utilities, businesses and communities. It also requires effective
investigation and prosecution of offences and appropriate consequences for
those convicted in accordance with the law. But enforcement alone cannot
solve the problem. Police officers and private security personnel cannot be
present at every tower, cable route or network installation across the country.
Namibians should therefore remain vigilant. Suspicious activity around
telecommunications infrastructure, signs of tampering, unauthorised
excavation or the suspicious possession or removal of network equipment
should be reported promptly to the Namibian Police or the relevant
telecommunications operator. Prompt reporting could mean the difference
between preventing an offence and leaving a household, business or entire
community without essential connectivity.
Telecommunications infrastructure belongs to particular operators, but the
connectivity it enables belongs to Namibia’s broader economic and social
ecosystem. Protecting that infrastructure means protecting businesses that
need to transact, students who need to learn, public institutions that need to
serve, families that need to communicate and communities that deserve to
remain connected.
When a network goes dark because of vandalism, Namibia loses more than a
cable or a piece of equipment. It loses connectivity, productivity and
opportunity. Protecting telecommunications infrastructure is, therefore,
protecting Namibia’s digital future, and that is a responsibility in which every
Namibian has a role to play.
END
Issued by:
Ms. Magano Katoole, Manager: Corporate Advice & Legislative Drafting; and
Ms. Sheleen Kavikairiua, Manager: Licensing, Standards & Regulatory
Compliance
Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN)
Tel: +264 61 222 666
Email: Communications@cran.na
