Vusumuzi Dube
Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter
A significant number of public institutions in rural areas have been electrified with public schools, clinics and extension offices being some of the beneficiaries.
Rural areas have previously suffered neglect in energy provision until the establishment of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) when Zesa was reorganised after recognising the need to step up rural electrification. The coming in of the Second Republic has seen the programme being expedited in line with the Government’s mantra of living no one and no place behind.
Addressing journalists in Bulawayo recently, Minister of Energy and Power Development Soda Zhemu said the agency has gone a step further to pursue projects of alternative power generation and supply in areas that are far from the national grid.
“In the issue of Rural Electrification, a lot is happening. Ordinarily and traditionally the Rural Electrification Agency has been focusing on grid extension. However, in line with Government’s thrust of leaving no one and no place behind, they have now adopted other technologies like solar off grid systems which they are deploying to rural institutions that include schools, Chiefs homesteads, clinics and Government offices especially those that will be far away from the grid.
“They are now being given access to electricity through various forms of technologies like the solar off grid systems. They are working on a number of projects across the country. They just completed one in Tsholotsho, Matabeleland North in an area called Bemba which shall soon be commissioned and when we visited the site we saw our traditional houses being connected with electricity,” said Minister Zhemu.
In an interview with Sunday News, REA chief executive officer, Engineer Joshua Mashamba said 76 percent of rural public institutions nationally were electrified.
“As at 31 March 2023, REA has electrified 10 168 public institutions which gives us an aggregate of 76 percent. The public institutions include primary and secondary schools, clinics, Government offices and other public institutions. Nationally, 63 percent of Primary schools, 75 percent of Secondary schools, and 90 percent of rural clinics have been electrified as at 31 March 2023.
“In Matabeleland North province, 878 institutions have been electrified giving us an aggregate of 79 percent. Of the aggregate, 100 percent of the clinics have been electrified while primary schools and secondary schools are now at 59 and 78 percent respectively,” said Eng Mashamba.
He said 1 000 public institutions have been electrified in Matabeleland South giving an aggregate percentage of 87 percent. He said 68 percent of the primary schools, 94 percent of the Secondary schools and 98 percent of the clinics have so far been electrified.
The rural electrification programme was initiated in 2002 following the enactment of the Rural Electrification Fund Act (2002). The major thrust of the Rural Electrification Fund is to ensure that there is equitable distribution of resources in the electrification of the rural areas in Zimbabwe.–@nyeve14
Online Reporter