Tokelo Rasephei
TEN villages consisting of 598 households from the Matsieng No. 45 Constituency will soon be connected to electricity as soon as the Lesehe Construction and Highlands Electrical Construction Companies complete the wiring exercise that is expected to commence on Monday.
This was revealed by the Minister of Energy and Meteorology, Mokoto Hloaele, at the sod turning ceremony for the rural electrification project that was held at Ha Moruthoane on Tuesday.
Mr Hloaele said that it was the government’s mandate to ensure that every family in Lesotho was connected to electricity and had access to clean water and sufficient food.
“We are gathered here today to carry out the government’s obligation of working to the betterment of every Mosotho and the government allocated the sum of M 11 336 319 to carry out the electrification project of villages in Ha Pita, Ha Leutsoa and Ha Moruthoane,” Mr Hloaele said.
Mr Hloaele further said that the electricity installation in this villages will cater for every household in the Matsieng No.45 Constituency regardless of whether or not they had joined the electrification schemes.
Mr Hloaele added that every member of the community had to pay M2000 for electricity to be connected in their homes. He said that for those who did not join the schemes will get the electricity, however, they will pay the outstanding balances in instalments every time they purchased electricity.
He said that every household will get electricity installed regardless of their political affiliation.
“The Lesotho Electricity Company will conduct a workshop for villagers on Wednesday 7 February to equip the villagers on safety precautions of how to use electricity in your homes once the wiring process is completed,” Mr Hloaele said.
Mr Hloaele said that the villager will benefit from the initiative since members of the communities will be hired to work in the wiring infrastructure of the project until its completion.
Speaking at the event, the Member of Parliament for the Matsieng No. 45 Constituency Mats’epo Ramakoae said that on behalf of the communities she was thankful to the Ministry of Energy and Meteorology for considering their villages.
She said that it had been 20 years since they had started the electricity schemes and applied for electricity to be installed in their villages but to no avail. However, she said they were grateful that finally they will have access to electricity.
Ms Ramakoae said that it was through the installation of electricity that theft and burglary in their villages will deteriorate.
She urged the communities of Ha Pita, Leutsoa and Moruthoane to work hand in hand with construction companies during the installation process. She said that they should take care of the electricity equipment since that was the development to the community as well as country.
For his part, the Education and Training Minister, Mokhele Moletsane said that schools within the area will get electrified and education level will upgrade.
Mr Moletsane said that with access to electricity in schools pupils will be exposed to new systems of learning that will elevate their grades.
“We are living in the era of advancements in technology, children must be literate enough to us computers since nowadays computers are used in more advanced schools and in the corporate world,” Mr Moletsane said.
He further pleaded to the Minister of Energy and Meteorology to attach the gesture to other villages within the constituency that were included in the installation of electricity in the coming 2018/19 fiscal year.
