AMAKHALA EMOYENI COMMUNITY FUND TRUST – LIGHTING THE COMMUNITY OF COOKHOUSE
On the 06 August 2021, Cennergi and the Amakhala Emoyeni Community Fund Trust (AECFT, the beneficiary of ED and SED funds from the 134 MW Amakhala Emoyeni Wind Farm) in Partnership with the Blue Crane Route Local Municipality did an on-site inspection of the erection of thirty (30) solar powered street lights. They are doing this with the aim to light up some of the most vulnerable parts of Cookhouse in order to prevent crime and promote safety.
On the outskirts of Cookhouse the roads turn to bush and hills and when the sun goes down darkness creeps in and members of the community don’t know what await them in the shadows, that is until now! With the help of the wind farm thirty solar powered lights have been newly erected and light up the area which was once surrounded by darkness. Pastor Ndudumo Mthathi a Cookhouse resident can’t express his gratitude enough to the AECFT and Cennergi “At night you can’t see people until they are right infront of you” he says going on to explain that when they are not at home at night they worry a lot because the criminals like to break in here as it is so dark.
Local ward councilor Mpumelelo Steve Kwatsha explains how vital it is for the community and the wind farm to collaborate in order to grow the community from strength to strength. “It has created job opportunities for our people, especially the young people” he explain saying “We have a very high unemployment rate so [projects like these] insist on eradicating poverty.”
Muhammad Khan the owner of ZP Energy and project contractor explains how the lights work with battery pack, which are charged by the sun through solar panels. This is a project very near to his heart and something both he and the Amakhala Wind Farm focus on is renewable energy and decreasing the electricity demand on the Eskom grid. He notes that the thirty lights will be put up in three different streets, Ndyamarha Street, Sinyanza Street and Joe Slovo Street, lighting up different parts of Cookhouse “We are really happy how it worked out with the local team.” He says that out of his sixteen man team fourteen are locals and people who he would work with again.
Ndyamarha, Sinyanza and Joe Slovo streets will never be the same again. These streets have now been made more secure and safe through the installation of these solar lights which are sure to brighten up parts of the community which where once left in darkness.
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