The Minister of Natural Resources Mr. M. Moleleki (left) and the Minister of Local Government Dr. P. Sekatle congratulate one of the residents of Patlong, Ha Sekake, after performing a switching-on ceremony in her house.

three completed Electricity Access Pilot Project (EAPPs) was officially inaugurated by the Minister of Natural Resources, Mr. Monyane Moleleki, at Ha Sekake in Qacha’s Nek. During the same ceremony, the Minister also handed over the project to the Ministry of Local Government via his counterpart and Minister in the said Ministry, Dr. Ponts’o Sekatle. Handing over the project, the Minister of Natural Resources Mr. Monyane Moleleki said he felt happy that the Patlong, Ha Sekake community had received such an outstanding kind of assistance from the Government. The Minister mentioned that other EAPPs are

Qholaqhoe, Dilli-Dilli and Sixondo, which would be inaugurated at a later stage. He said it was the Government’s plan to replicate the EAPPs in different parts of the country thus increasing access to electricity by Basotho.

The Minister handed the EAPP operations manuals to the Minister of Local Government Dr. Ponts’o Sekatle. The Ha Sekake EAPP serves 230 families from five stand alone diesel generators.

For her part, Dr. Sekatle remarked that the Ministry appreciated that what the MoNR had done would go a long way towards ensuring that sustainable development took place at Ha Sekake. The Minister also observed that a long road to improving the lives of Basotho lay ahead as the Government was intensifying efforts at increasing electrification throughout all villages and towns in the country.

A representative of the Patlong Community Council Mr. Thabo Thato observed that the Community would do everything it could to ensure the sustainability of the project. He also added that since the Government had played its part, it was up to the residents of Patlong to take advantage of the availability of electricity and engage in job creating activities.

Earlier during the occasion, four LEA Board Members and Chief Executive, and other dignitaries were also introduced to the public.

Among many tasks the Authority is mandated with is to assist the Government in its efforts to increase access to electricity in the country. During the entire length of the projects the LEA worked closely with the different structures of the MoNR such as the Rural Electrification Unit (REU) and the Department of Energy to make the projects succeed.  

The LEA strongly supports the view that the best option that could be followed to make the EAPPs sustainable in the long term would be to put them under the ownership of the local community structures in which they are situated.

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