09 Apr 2015

The Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, Mr Kitso Mokaila has confirmed that Qangwa and Xaxa villages are not connected to the national electricity grid. 

“We consider it not prudent and economically unsustainable to generate electricity using diesel generators due to high operation and maintenance costs associated with operating generators particularly for small villages with relatively low electricity uptake,” he said.

Responding to a question in Parliament from Ngami MP, Mr Thato Kwerepe, the minister added that “as these villages are not connected to the grid at the moment, they do not contribute to shortage of electricity.”

Samboyo and Habu villages, the minister said would be considered for electrification subject to availability of funds in the future. With regard to Makakung, he said it did not appear in the list of gazetted villages and therefore could not be selected for electrification. 

“My Ministry is committed to connecting new villages to the electricity national grid and to undertake network extensions simultaneously,” he said.

Extending electricity in villages that are already connected, Mr Mokaila said was necessitated by high market potential for immediate uptake. 

These additional connections, he said invariably resulted in improved return on investment, because the infrastructure which was otherwise underutilised was optimally put to good use. 

In order to allow for other customers in the same villages to pay the standard cost, he said network extensions had also been adopted.

Mr Kwerepe had asked the minister whether it would not relieve shortage of electricity by buying generators for Qangwa/Xaxa villages which were 120 kilometers away from the powerline.

The Ngami MP also wanted to know when Samboyo, Makakung and Habu would be supplied with electricity and the rationale for extending electricity in villages that were already connected at the expense of those which did not have electricity. ENDS