The municipality has made great strides in the provision of electricity; impoverished households registered on our Indigent register continue receiving free basic electricity tokens for which we have set aside R1, 1m for this purpose in the current financial year.

In terms of all other village extensions that are not electrified yet and other households that do not have electricity, we have set aside R1,1m for Free basic alternative energy in the form of Gel stoves and oil lamps. Over 300 households will benefit from this initiative which was officially launched on Monday (2011/04/18) by receiving a starter pack and a refill pack of 5l gel and 500ml oil monthly for 11 months.

The benefitting households are in Ward 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 covering villages like Mankgodi, Burgwal, Rapitsi, Lonsdal, Mabitsela and the newly established settlement of Kloestam near Vlakfontein, Ga-Matlala. Ward Councillors and Committees from the affected wards were invited for a demonstration on how the stoves and lamps work.

Speaking during the launch, Aganang Executive member responsible for Technical Services, Cllr. Malesela Teffo said the municipality is happy to be the first one to launch such a project within the Capricorn District Municipality. He also commended the safety of the gel and oil used in both the stoves and lamps, whilst also expressing hope that the beneficiaries will really appreciate the gesture.

Koko Masilo Dikgale, a pensioner from Monyoaneng village said days of fetching firewood for cooking are over. "The government has really come to our rescue, as we will no longer be confronted by criminal elements like when we fetched firewood in the bushes".

A resident of Lonsdale village, Ms Frida Moloko, an unemployed mother of five school going children said they welcomed the new light in the form of lamps. Change has come into our lives, hopefully the lamps will be cheaper to maintain than buying candles every time.