The ANC firmly believes that all our people have a right to access basic government services, irrespective of where they live. The provision of services must take into account the changing settlement patterns and the need to develop effective delivery systems for relatively remote households.
As such, the ANC welcomes the installation of solar systems at the 71 households in Mekemeke village in Mpumalanga. Mekemeke village was chosen to benefit from this project, which is championed by the partnership between the Phillips company and the Independent Development Trust, IDT.
This is after the two institutions undertook the initiative in 2011 to investigate the impact of solar lighting in rural areas which do not feature on the electricity grid. This project will benefit Mpumalanga as almost 80% of the area is not electrified.
The ANC government commits to speeding up the provision of municipal services such as electricity, especially in the rural areas. Thank you. [Applause.]