Lights on for 27 houses in Bushbuckridge

BUSHBUCKRIDGE – Twenty-seven houses in the rural area of Waterval Nkanini in Bushbuckridge Municipality have been connected to the power grid, giving them access to electricity for the first time.

Eskom conducted a switch-on for 27 houses in the village, making the community’s dream to access electricity as a basic service a reality. The project is part of the government’s electrification programme and began in November 2016 and was completed on 06 February 2017.

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“The Nkanini community previously depended on candle and fire wood for lighting, cooking and heating. Some community members said they had to take their cellular phones for charging to a nearby village, but that has all changed now,” said General Manager for the Mpumalanga Operating Unit Phil Khumalo.

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“One of the beneficiaries of the electrification programme, Ms Martha Thumba Sibuyi, expressed her joy by dancing down the street informing neighbours that Eskom is on the way to switch them on. It is truly rewarding to witness how we are improving the living standards of our people,” she said.

Last month at the State of the System Briefing Interim Chief Executive Matshela Koko said that Eskom has connected 162 104 new customers to the grid in nine months with 150 747 customers energised and already using electricity. “We hope to electrify all households in South African in the next two years,” he said.

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Eskom is still on track to accelerate the achievement of its 207 332-year-end target and reach universal access by 2020.