PDT equips rural schools with solar

Five schools in the Musina and Blouberg municipal areas were equipped with solar-power plants and a borehole by the Ponahalo De Beers Trust (PDT). The official handing over of the equipment took place at a function last Saturday (4^th).

Mathipa Makgato High, Ratanang Special School, Alldays Secondary (all three under the Blouberg Municipality) and Musina High each received solar plants, while Rixile Primary, in the Musina area, received a borehole.

High electricity bills, coupled with load shedding, have prompted PDT to rope in solar energy to ease the strain on the local schools, and with the scourge of drought that continues to ravage the province, where many parts are still without a drop of water, the schools have not been spared.

Jolene Shaw, general manager of Knowledge Pele, said that the aim of the solar installations was to reduce the Eskom electricity cost at the boreholes to pump water. “The PDT Legacy Project not only addresses the energy, water, sanitation and IT infrastructure needs of schools but, importantly, seeks to create local skills for the long-term maintenance of this infrastructure,” she said.

Shaw further said that PDT saw this as an opportunity to contribute to needy schools. “Access to water is a basic human right. We felt it was important to empower the learners with a reliable source of renewable energy to improve their daily lives and allow them to sustainably operate their agricultural businesses into the future.”

The principal of Rixile Primary, Mr Moses Chauke, said they were extremely excited about the donation. “It was a chaotic state here, with many learners losing their precious learning time waiting for water. This is a great relief to us as a school, and we wholeheartedly thank our sponsor for this generous donation. Water is life, and without water we cannot progress. This donation will go a long way in improving the lives of learners and educators at the school,” he said.

The circuit manager of Soutpansberg North, Dr Ntavhanyeni Phaswana, said they believed that the development of the nation went hand in hand with the availability of proper facilities. “We have serious challenges in the country. The solar technology comes in handy, because we don’t have to connect to the grid. We cannot be left behind because we are in rural schools. Only the people who are in the cities are moving ahead with the fourth industrial revolution. The ultimate goal is to make these schools to become smart as well, like we have smart cities,” he said.

News in brief - Date: 18 February 2023

Kaizer Nengovhela

Kaizer Nengovhela started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror in 2000. Prior to that he had a five year stint at Phala-Phala FM as sports presenter. In 2005 Kaizer received an award from the province's premier as Best Sports Presenter. The same year he was also nominated as Best Sports Reporter by the Makhado Municipality. Kaizer was awarded the Mathatha Tsedu award in 2014.

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