By Staff Reporters
Rural electrification greatly improves the quality of life. Lighting alone brings benefits such as increased study time and improved study environment for school children, extended hours for small businesses, and greater security. But electrification brings more than light. Experts say its second most common use is for television, which brings both entertainment and information. The people who live in rural areas greatly appreciate these benefits and are willing to pay for them at levels more than sufficient to cover the costs.
Earlier this year, the government of Lesotho revealed that a staggering M9-billion was required if a plan to electrify all Basotho households is to be achieved in an eight-year period commencing this year, it has emerged this week.
This after the ministry of energy, working in partnership with the ministries of development planning and of finance, said it is working on a strategic plan to install electricity for 100 percent of Basotho households by 2030.
According to the energy ministry, the process of powering the nation started in 2001 whereby the government conducted a study of the country’s terrain and map layout.
The study allowed for the country’s towns and villages to be prioritised during the implementation of the project. Facilities such as schools and health clinics are set to be powered first.
According to the ministry of energy, there are currently 52 percent of Basotho homes with electricity. That, it said, leaves it with 48 percent of homes to have electrified in a period of eight years.
The principal secretary of the energy ministry, Themba Sopeng, in January said: “The reason there is still a significant number of Basotho households without electricity, especially in the highlands is lack of funds. The budget that our ministry gets annually only allows for a fairly small number of places to be powered. With more money, we can definitely power more places.”
The government of Lesotho prepared LEEAP which links with National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) to address the electricity demand which continues to increase with the view to stimulate the growth in economy and gains in productivity.
It is a seven-year project which was established since 2020 to 2027. It is funded by the World Bank under the ministry of energy and meteorology.
LRREEAP has embarked on a campaign to introduce both grid and mini-grid electricity in rural areas around the country as well as in industrial areas such as Ha Belo and Ha Tikoe.
In April this year, the coordinator of LREEAP ‘Mathapelo Keke Silase said the LREEAP aims to install grid extension electricity to 12 000 households countrywide, while they have earmarked 8 000 households to be connected with mini-grid electricity in the rural areas.
“Our purpose is to serve rural areas with interim electricity supplies until such time that the Lesotho Electricity Company (L EC) has connected them to its grid,” she said.
In the mini grid, the power to be generated in the area will be distributed to power the households by using solar, water and wind depending on the type of resource available in the chosen areas.
“Feasibility and engineering design studies as well as implementation support from LEC health and safety aspects are already being undertaken,” Silase said.
She further indicated that without energy nothing can be done hence they have considered the struggle that people in rural areas go through in their daily basis.
“The selection criteria for mini grids are the villages not far from the roads, houses that are about 15km away from the LEC grid, access to the road and activities of economic purposes such as schools, health centres and milling,” she added.
Silase added that currently there are about 48-50 percent of people who can’t access electricity hence a plan for the LREEAP to implement the project.
Some rural communities are reaping the benefits of electrification. Communities in parts of the Thaba-Putsoa constituency in Maseru are delighted that electricity has been connected to their households and they no longer have to endure darkness at night.
The residents of Ha Mohlachane are some of those who are no longer living in darkness after the rural electrification project came to their rescue.
The villagers view this as a whole new page in their lives as the power supply has opened doors for developments in their area, and better living conditions.
The power supply has long been in the pipeline but was stalled as bickering among politicians took a toll that, resulting in delays to implement the giant project.
Added to that was lack of funding to back up the development as villagers had to contribute to the implementation.
One excited villager of Ha Mohlachane, ‘Maclementina Motsoto, who rears broilers and sells beer to make a living for herself and her two grandchildren, has welcomed the energy supply in her dwelling as it has made her life and those around her easier.
However, the initiative is fraught with challenges. he government suffers huge losses due to companies’ failure to complete the work they have been contracted to do, it has emerged.
The completion of some infrastructure projects has been delayed because of contractors who start work and abandon it midstream despite having been allocated the money for implementation; this ends up costing the government far more than it such works have been budgeted for.
Also, this means that the projects’ duration becomes longer than it was planned.
A recent example is that of Ha Thaabe in the Maseru district, where a contractor who secured a tender for electrification in the area abandoned the project, forcing the government to engage the services of a new contractor. That, it was learned, forced the government to cough out more money to ensure the project’s full implementation, in addition to the already budgeted costs.
The completed electrification project was eventually handed over to the communities around Ha Thaabe by the minister of energy Mohapi Mohapinyane in may this year despite the setback that was experienced after the project commenced four years ago.
Mohapinyane condemned what he termed ‘the unacceptable conduct of contactors’, which puts the country at great risk.
He said it was disappointing to learn that such conduct is demonstrated by Basotho nationals who are awarded tenders.
“The project began on November 6 2018 and at that time, the budget for this project amounted to M11 339 498. However, because of the first contractor failing to complete his job we engaged a new contractor.
“We therefore, found B&G Electrical and Construction who demanded M3 684 439 on top of the initial budget. That means the budget for this project now amounted to M15 023 000. Therefore, this shows just how sloppy Basotho nationals are towards their work; this affects the country negatively.”
Political parties dwell on rural electrification
Revolution for Prosperity (RFP)
RFP’s Thabo Maretlane says when the party assumes reins as it will build windmills, turbines and solar.
He said that this is because the RFP has realized that Lesotho has a lot of wind and therefore as RFP they want to use this to produce energy.
He also said that the party will construct dams to make it easy for them to use turbines.
Maretlane said could not commit to when this will be implemented once they take power as the government. However, he said that in 100 days after they sit for the government then they will confirm a way forward.
He said the party will set the targets some of which will be long-term targets. Others he added, will be worked on in phases.
All Basotho Convention (ABC)
The outspoken secretary-general of the ABC Advocate Lebohang Hlaele said when the convention takes on the state leadership as government they will continue the work that has started “because we have already begun electrifying rural.”
He said the ministry of energy has made a roll-out and therefore as ABC they intend on carrying out the work that they have already kick-started.
He also said that in five years to come they want to see tangible evidence of the work they will have done which is electrifying the rural and the country as a whole.
Moreover, Hlaele said that as ABC they want to ensure that they carry out the national development strategic plan II (NDSP II) and vowed that the party will not sway away from the plan.
Basotho Action Party (BAP)
BAP spokesperson Motlatsi Maqelepo said that all families have the right to electrification and therefore, if BAP ascends to power it will focus on all alternatives for electricity connection and just like the use of cable connections done by the Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC).
He said they will be exploring all options for electrical connectivity such as solar energy and wind as the kingdom has a lot of wind.
He said that they will be looking at these options “because of the country’s terrain which makes it difficult for cables to run in some places.”
He said that as BAP they want to increase funding when it comes to rural electrification and cut government expenditure in order to increase project capital.
He said that among other developments they will be dealing with will be efforts to include universities and technical institutions to assist in connecting rural areas.
He said that to achieve this they will follow an already existing masterplan of electrification and hoped that in five years there will be electrification by solar and is optimistic that technical schools in the country will help in assembling the solar panels.
Democratic Congress (DC)
The publication was unable to get the voice from DC by the time of publication. But its manifesto suggests that DC will develop an electricity master plan which among other things will indicate how much electricity can be produced through water, wind, and by solar with an intention of making the country to be able to self-sustain itself and export energy to other neighbouring countries.
