BY MFANUFIKILE KHATHWANE
MBABANE – The Minister of Natural Resources and Energy, Prince Lonkhokhela, has assured the nation that by 2030, every liSwati will have access to both electricity and clean water.
The Minister revealed that the Government of Eswatini, in partnership with World Vision Eswatini, the World Bank, and other key stakeholders, is working tirelessly to achieve this goal. He stated that only 15% of the population remains without electricity, and ongoing efforts aim to close this gap.
Prince Lonkhokhela made these remarks during a presentation before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee overseeing the Ministry’s work. He also addressed concerns about recent power load-shedding incidents affecting the country.
Lobamba Lomdzala Member of Parliament, Marwick Khumalo, questioned the unpredictability of the outages, asking “Why are we experiencing load-shedding as a country? Why does it take us by surprise?
We were pleased when the Minister announced the reduction of electricity and water tariff hikes from two digits to one. But I believe the Minister could not say at the time due to political sensitivities that while costs are going down, load-shedding would become a reality.”
Another Member of Parliament expressed concern about the timing of the outages, asking “Why is load-shedding happening during peak hours when children are back from school and preparing to study?”
Despite these challenges, the Minister reiterated that government remains committed to expanding energy access and minimizing disruptions as the country works toward universal electrification.
(Courtesy Pic)
