Govt intensifies rural electrification

Tokelo Rasephei

THE government of Lesotho will soon electrify eleven villages in the Sebapala #66 constituency in the district of Quthing as part of its ongoing rural electrification drive.

This was revealed by the Minister of Energy and Meteorology, Mokoto Hloaele, during a recent sod turning ceremony in the Ha Potomane and Mochotoane villages in Quthing.

Mr Hloaele said it was the government’s policy to ensure that every family in Lesotho had access to electricity regardless of political affiliation.

He said every family had to pay M2500 for electricity to be installed in their homes, adding that those who had not joined the villagers’ electricity schemes would still get the electricity and pay the installation fee in instalments whenever they purchased electricity.

Mr Hloaele said M6, 5 million had been allocated for the installation of electricity in the nine villages of Ha Potomane which comprised of 378 families. Another M2, 5 million was also allocated for 200 families in the two villages of Mochotoane.

“Our aim is to honour the promises we made to the nation that every family in the country has the right to electricity, clean water and food security,” Mr Hloaele said.

“This is our way of giving back to the community and fulfilling the promises that the government had made to the nation.”

Speaking at the same event, the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Machesetsa Mofomobe, thanked the Ministry of Energy for considering needy communities in the remote areas of Quthing.

Mr Mofomobe said that Quthing was one of the poorest districts with few roads and lack of access to clean water.

Mr Mofomobe also pleaded with the community to take care of the infrastructural developments that the government had brought to the Quthing.

He said the electrification project would attract investors who would come to villages to open markets and health facilities for the benefit of the residents.

“We are grateful to the government for bringing electricity to our people as we had struggled for the longest time to access electricity in some parts of the district,” Mr Mofomobe said.

He also expressed hope that the education system in Quthing would improve since students would have access to electricity that would enable them to make use of technology like computers.

The electricity would also allow them to study at night.

For his part, the Principal Chief of Quthing, Chief Hlabathe Nkuebe, also conveyed his gratitude to the Ministry of Energy.

He said that the Quthing community would no longer continue suffering from many crimes such as theft and burglary due to darkness in the villages.

The electrification of the villages will begin as soon as the wiring is completed by Jimmy and B&G Electrical companies.