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VILLAGERS in Chief Sinazongwe’s area in Southern Province have hailed Government’s move to extend the electrification exercise to rural areas saying the move is creating employment and putting more money in their pockets.
And Mines, Energy, Water and Development Permanent Secretary Charity Mwansa says she is impressed with the electrification projects being undertaken in Monze, Residents of Kalomo and Sinazeze said they are happy with the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) because it is changing their lives.
Malima residents in Sinazongwe told Ms Mwansa when she visited the area on Thursday to familiarise herself on the power projects that they were happy to have power taken to the area because it has boosted their economic activities and placed more money in their pockets.
Malima ward counselor Fisher Zimana said as a result of the electrification exercise, people were engaged in a lot of economic activities which were boosting their income and improving living standards.
Mr Zimana said Malima has since become a centre of attraction as people were now finding local employment, adding that business people from other areas were flocking to the area to do business.
He said the council had resolved to turn the place into a township following its electrification.
The councilor, however, appealed to Government to tar the Bottom Road to make movement for the people easier easier.
Malima School head teacher Crispin Lubinda said the community was happy because electricity had made their lives easier and increased the enrollment levels of pupils at the school.
“There has been increase in the enrollment levels. For instance when I came here in 2010 the school had an enrollment of 692 but today we have 842,” he said.
He said that a number of stakeholders such as World Vision had shown interest in helping the school with technological tools such as television sets with full kitsfor lessons for Grade ones to support their literacy learning.
A Grade nine pupil at the school Cynthia Silujala said in her vote of thanks that pupils, parents and teachers were happy as the electrification had enabled them to study even at night thus improving their quality of education.
Willard Hang’andu, a farmer however appealed to Government to find a way in which the villagers could access the Zesco prepaid because it was expensive for them to travel to the nearest point in Maamba every time they ran out of power.
Chief Sinazongwe’s representative Siabana Edicco Musocha thanked Government for taking power to rural areas, saying it was bedrock for development.
And Ms Mwansa who committed Government’s continued support countrywide said it was Government’s desire to see equal distribution of power to both rural and urban areas so as to bridge the poverty gap.
She said that she was happy that the presence of power in rural areas had generated a lot of economic activities which would result in villagers having more money in their pockets.
She said the presence of power in rural areas would also operate as a model for decongesting towns since people would still access most things in rural areas.
