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In a remarkable development for the residents of Magontsini Location, Umzimvubu Local Municipality has successfully completed an electricity installation project that had been left unfinished since the 2018/2019 financial year. The village, located approximately 40km outside KwaBhaca and home to 89 residences, now celebrates a long-awaited connection to the power grid.
Nozibusiso Mpisane, a resident who lives with her three children and nine grandchildren, shared her relief and joy at finally having electricity. “It has been a long wait for light in our location,” she said. “There were times when we thought it would never be possible.”
For years, the residents of Magontsini felt left behind, watching neighboring villages with electricity while they continued to live in darkness. The municipality stepped in to assist, providing paraffin to 70 qualifying households while the project was in progress.
Umzimvubu Local Municipality’s mayor of the day, Thabisa Sokhanyile emphasized the transformative impact of the project.
“Everyone’s lives will now change for the better as they will have light and no longer need to collect firewood,” Sokhanyile said. She acknowledged the challenges faced during the interim period, noting that not everyone qualified for the paraffin assistance.
The completion of the project has had a profound effect on the community. Mandilive Mlenzana, a matriculant from Magontsini Location, highlighted how difficult life was without electricity. “We couldn’t study when it was dark or attend study groups,” she said. “Now learners in the village can charge their phones and do research for their school projects.”
The project, completed in just four months, has brought long-awaited relief and joy to residents who had been waiting for electricity for about years. Ward 24 Councilor Mlungiseleli Jonase remarked on the broader impact of the project, stating, “We suffered a lot because we couldn’t have mobile clinics without electricity connections.”
Additionally, the project created 12 job opportunities for local youth, including three positions for women, further contributing to the community’s development.
With the successful completion of the electricity installation, the residents of Magontsini Location are now ready to embrace new ways of living with electricity, their smiles and joy reflecting a brighter future ahead.
