Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve [email protected]
MORE than 1 000 households in Maphisa’s Mama Mafuyana suburb are set to be connected to the national grid after ZETDC successfully completed a major reticulation project, ending nearly two decades of darkness for the community.
This comes as Matabeleland South Province prepares to host the 46th Independence Day celebrations next month, with the first connection made last week to Mr Lindinkosi Mlilo.
Mama Mafuyana suburb, named after the late Father Zimbabwe’s wife, Cde Johanna Mafuyana Nkomo, had been without electricity since 2007.
ZESA Holdings Stakeholder Relations revealed that the project, which commenced in September 2025, involved constructing 4.9km of 11kV overhead lines and 9.4km of medium-voltage lines.
“The Mama Mafuyana Suburb Reticulation Project has potential to electrify 1000 houses. ZETDC funded the reticulation in full
“We had a meeting with residents advising them we are now ready to connect them and encouraging them to apply,” the utility said.
Under NDS2, ZETDC has set a target of 320 000 annual connections to achieve universal access by 2030, with plans to rope in the private sector to accelerate rural electrification.
The hosting of this year’s independence follows last year’s successful commemorations in Gokwe, Midlands Province, as the Second Republic decentralises national events.
Several legacy projects are transforming Maphisa, including upgrading the Gwanda-Maphisa road and constructing a new stadium at the town’s open grounds.
