Residents in Khikhi 3 Rental Stock informal settlement in Gugulethu can look forward to brighter days ahead with the connection of the first of 400 beneficiaries to the electricity grid today, 10 March 2022.
Ms Sophia Dlamini and Mr Lungile Libali were some of the first beneficiaries of the electrification project.
‘This phase of the four-year project rollout comprises the connection of 150 of the planned 400 households to the electricity grid. In City-supplied areas and on City-owned land, almost all older established informal settlements in the metro have been connected to electricity, where it has been possible to do so. We thank the beneficiaries and the community for the support because we cannot make progress without them,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Councillor Beverley van Reenen.
‘An electricity connection holds a transformative potential – be it to start a business; to extend quality learning time for school and tertiary studies; to extend family time; to enhance household safety with safer means of providing heat, cooking and reducing the chance of an open flame being left unattended.
‘Connecting residents to the grid is half the battle won. Thereafter we need to ensure that we Keep Cape Town Lit by taking ownership of community infrastructure that enables reliable basic services to all, such as electricity, water and sanitation. We remind residents to help the City protect infrastructure by reporting electricity theft, vandalism and illegal connections to the City or to the South African Police Service so that we do not lose the ground we gain by constantly having to fix the same infrastructure or having extended power outages that could easily be prevented,’ said Councillor Van Reenen.