Diepkloof residents learn about solar energy

Ekukhanyeni Leseding team presented to the Diepkloof community information about solar systems on April 6 at J.S Mpanza Primary School in Zone Six.

Ekukhanyeni Leseding is an NPO that was established in November 2023 and just recently registered as an NPO that will be operating in Soweto.

Due to load shedding which has been an ongoing pandemic in South Africa, the NPO decided to introduce the stokvel idea to the community to help residents purchase solar systems.

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Matshidiso Vilakazi, the Director of Ekukhanyeni Leseding explained the challenges that the NPO is facing and such includes lack of participation from residents and less support from the local councillors.

“If only the councillors can walk with us on the journey of establishing and growing this project it would be great because their word carries so much weight in the community than ours,” said Vilakazi.

Ekukhanyeni Leseding NPO will soon be doing awareness campaigns to let the community know about renewable energy and will be sharing in-depth information about solar systems and how will they benefit Soweto residents if not South Africa as a whole.

Joe Maphanga from Ladocare Construction, a solar energy company, gave a presentation about solar systems and their benefits and how they can be a solution for the community.

“We have backup solar systems that are batteries which are charged and works in the absence of Eskom, where the solar energy takes over during load shedding.

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“We also have full solar systems where the generator and electricity gets energy from the sun,” Maphanga explained.

Maphanga also explained the research they have conducted in the Diepkloof community with Ekukhanyeni Leseding about the electricity problem.

They discovered that there are a lot of elderly people that rely on oxygen machines that need electricity to keep running. Also that school children get affected and disturbed due to load shedding.

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Grace Mathebula, a resident spoke on how the Diepkloof community should take such projects seriously because it is there to save them from the load shedding crisis that is not known when it will come to an end.

“Such projects are the future because load shedding will not end anytime soon, therefore people should take this solution or they will suffer,” Mathebula said.