RUNDU – National power utility NamPower this week handed over the site for a much-awaited-for rural electrification project to Together Electrical Services cc, marking a significant milestone for the beneficiary villages of Kapako, Diyana, Rughongo, and Thipanana.
The project, which is expected to take for six months, was made possible after a formal request was submitted in April 2024 by the Mukwe constituency councillor Damian Maghambayi through the office of the Kavango East governor.
While expressing satisfaction and gratitude, Maghambayi said the N$1.2 million allocated to the Thipanana-Rughongo segment will light up communities that have remained in darkness since independence.
“As a regional councillor for Mukwe, I am happy to end this year with a happy face as the plight of our people is being responded to. I promised the community that I would ensure electricity is brought to them, and I can attest to the number of meetings I held with them to make this dream a reality,” Maghambayi said in a recent interview with New Era.
He added: “During the handover ceremony, the atmosphere was filled with joy as community members broke into songs, celebrating the dawn of a new era of development and safety for their villages.”
Maghambayi said local unskilled labour will also be recruited during the implementation phase.
They will be identified through the village headmen and council offices to ensure the project also benefits the community economically during construction.
Kapako, Diyana, Rughongo and Thipanana are located between Shadikongoro and Mukwe villages. “The community of Thipanana, Rughongo, has been in the dark since independence with no access to electricity. Therefore, it is befitting for this village to benefit from this development,” he said.