While many other people could afford to stockpile on their monthly groceries, Nothobile Nomhana, a resident of the Walter Sisulu municipality, was always forced to buy hers in ‘dribs and drabs’ as her shack did not have any electricity.
The 37-year-old has been living in a shack since 2008. However, the mother of three and resident of Vula Vala informal settlement in Maletswai (formerly Aliwal North) radiated with joy after an entourage led by Walter Sisulu local municipality mayor Vania Davids breezed into her humble home to switch on the lights this week.
Nomhana is among 471 shack dwellers whose homes have been connected to the power grid, granting them access to electricity for the first time. The electrification project was carried out by the municipality at a cost of R11,4m through the Integrated National Electrification Programme grant.
The beneficiaries reside in shacks in Vula Vala, Phola Park, and R58 informal settlements in Maletswai. An additional 116 shacks will be electrified before the end of June.
My heart is beaming with joy. This will significantly reduce the fire incidents that demolish our shacks through the use of candles and paraffin stoves
The municipality consists of four other towns, James Calata (formerly Jamestown) Burgersdorp, Steynsburg, and Venterstad.
An elated Nomhana said she had lost all hope that her informal settlement would ever get electricity.
“Now we will be able to use our refrigerators as it had been tiring buying groceries in small quantities for fear that it would become rotten and we would end up having to throw them away,” she said.
Nthabeleng Sekhamane, 46, said she had been living in Phola Park informal settlement for more than 22 years. She said getting electricity meant an end to shack fires for many people in her community.
“I am very excited. My heart is beaming with joy. This will significantly reduce the fire incidents that demolish our shacks through the use of candles and paraffin stoves.”
Davids said the project was aimed at tackling electricity backlogs within the Walter Sisulu municipal area.
It was also a way to fast-track service delivery by ensuring that everyone had access to electricity.
“As the municipality, we are making great strides in the electrification of informal settlements which has assisted in the decrease of illegal connections.
“Installing electricity in informal settlements will also help improve the living conditions of our people while eliminating the number of accidents caused by illegal connections to the power grid,” Davids said.
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