High electricity bills, coupled with load shedding, have prompted Vhamusanda Vho- Livhuwani Matsila to rope in solar energy to ease the strain on the Matsila Community Trust (MCDT). The trust is led by the traditional leader himself.
The solar project was launched at Matsila village on 16 January, replacing Eskom power at its boreholes with solar panels in an attempt to reduce electricity costs. The six solar plants power 10 boreholes to provide water for domestic consumption to about 10 000 people and for the various farming projects in the area that employ more than 500 families.
Matsila said the main reason for starting this project was because of the escalating cost of electricity. "It was becoming unaffordable. The trust (MCDT) covers those costs for the village. And it was becoming unreliable, so there were days when we could not pump due to load shedding." The panels are expected to provide electricity to the pumps that can fill a 250 000-litre tank in five hours.
The project was funded by global asset manager Ninety-One as part of a corporate social-investment programme.
The chief executive officer of Ninety-One, Mr Hendrik du Toit, who also attended the launch, described the donation as a permanent solution to rural villages that had been struggling with water for so long. He said the company saw it as an opportunity to contribute to a needy community. "Access to water is a basic human right. We felt it was important to empower the people of Matsila Community with a reliable source of renewable energy to improve their daily lives and allow them to sustainably operate their agricultural businesses into the future," said Du Toit.
According to Chief Matsila, the donation will also take care of the MCDT's R300 000 outstanding debt to Eskom.
Residents are jubilant over the solar project, as they no longer need to worry about paying for water or electricity. One of the villagers, Ms Tsakani Mathebula, said that their community had been fighting for clean water for many years. "We are thankful for having water that now goes all the way to our homes. It's a pleasure and honour to have this project implemented in our village because if you look around the entire country, most of the villages are having this same problem with water. We are fortunate because we are going to use solar panels without paying. We are happy and appreciate what Vhamusanda Vho-Matsila has done for his subjects. We call on the residents to protect this valuable infrastructure," Mathebula said, adding that the project should be extended to other villages too.