The mayor of Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality (FTLM), Cllr Eddie Maila, met with Eskom Limpopo’s senior management on September 23 to discuss electrification challenges in the municipality.

During the State of the Local Municipality Address (Solma) held at Ga-Motodi Stadium on August 7, Maila said the FTLM has made strides in electrifying homes, significantly reducing the backlog in connections.

He also confirmed that the electrification projects at Mandela East, Ga-Selepe, Ga-Nkoana, Phiring, Ga-Moraba, Magabe Park, and Majaditshukudu are all complete, and are now only awaiting Eskom to energise them.

“The municipality will continue engagements with Eskom to find ways to supply electricity to households that have been connected.”

As promised, the September 23 meeting identified several factors hampering the roll-out of mass electrification to households in Fetakgomo Tubatse.
In his presentation, Maila provided a detailed background on the obstacles faced by the FTLM in accelerating electrification.

“The municipality has had to place several projects on hold pending the strengthening and capacitation of feeder lines to increase capacity on the national grid. This precautionary measure aims to prevent damage to infrastructure, theft of cables and transformers, and illegal connections on completed projects.”

Eskom management indicated that they are on track to complete the Kimali and Rietvlei feeder lines, which are expected to connect many households once completed.

Some of the resolutions taken, is that the mayor will engage the premier of Limpopo, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, and the MEC for co-operative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs (Coghsta), Basikopo Makamu, to fast-track interventions on challenges faced by Eskom.

The municipality confirmed it will continue implementing electrification projects in areas where there is available capacity, while awaiting the completion of the Kimali and Rietvlei feeder lines.

Eskom is also expected to provide the mayor with regular updates on identified challenges for further intervention.

Maila reiterated his call to residents to desist from illegal connections on completed projects, stressing that such practices pose risks to households and contribute to ongoing load reduction that negatively affects community livelihoods.

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The meeting was also attended by representatives of Makamu’s office to give support and guidance to the municipality in a quest to electrify households without electricity.