With solar energy in abundance in Vhembe, self-taught scientist Thikhathali Godfrey Mathivha (49) from Khubvi village decided to put this natural resource to good use to save on electricity costs. Mathivha has designed a stove that harnesses the sun's rays to produce heat for cooking.
When Limpopo Mirror visited him at his home last week, he proudly demonstrated his solar stove while preparing a meal. "With the cost of energy constantly rising and firewood becoming scarce due to bush destruction, I found it necessary to come up with a way to use natural resources to generate energy," he explained.
A self-taught welder, Mathivha said building the stove was fairly easy, despite the amount of welding work required. "The most important part was finding an old satellite dish, onto which I mounted reflective panels that concentrate heat directly onto the pot space. I don't have a scientific measurement for the amount of heat it produces, but it's strong enough to cook any meal at any time," he said.
For convenience, he fitted the stove stand with four small wheels, making it easy to move around. "I even took the stove to display at the local shopping centre, and people were impressed. Seeing people happy with my work motivates me to invent more things," he added.
Currently, the stove only works in direct sunlight as it has no energy storage. "The heat from the sun goes straight to the pot. But I am working on a plan to incorporate an energy storage system so the stove can be used even when there is no direct sunlight," he explained.
The traditional leader of Khubvi village, Vhamusanda Vho Thinawanga Randima, praised Mathivha's innovation. "We are proud of him for putting our village on the global map. Our responsibility is to support him, so that he can continue raising awareness about how we can use natural resources to our benefit," he said.