Over 100 000 KZN homes lack electricity

MORE than 100 000 homes across KwaZulu-Natal still do not have access to electricity.

- THAMI MAGUBANE

KwaZulu-Natal MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Thulasizwe Buthelezi revealed that in some parts of the province, there is still very low penetration when it comes to the provision of electricity.

The MEC was speaking at a recent event for Eskom’s National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) Indaba.

“According to the Department of Mineral Resources’ Electrification Master Plan, which provides a detailed breakdown of electrification backlogs per local municipality at the ward level, there were 112 704 households without access to electricity as of the end of March 2023. An estimated R2.25 billion is required to address this backlog,” he said in a statement.

The department confirmed that these figures were referring to KwaZulu-Natal.

The MEC stated, “UMkhanyakude District Municipality in the far north of the province has the lowest electricity access ratio at 84.37%, followed by uGu District Municipality on the south coast at 89.02%, while all other district municipalities are above 90%.”