Canaan Mdletshe

At least 24000 houses in Nkandla, home of ANC president Jacob Zuma, will be electrified.

This means nearly 500000 people will now have access to electricity for the first time in their lives.

This emerged yesterday when the Minister of Minerals and Energy Buyelwa Sonjica and Zuma officially switched on electricity at Benedict substation in Emjahweni area in Nkandla.

Sonjica said the electrification of the area was part of the national programme by her department to bring light to the lives of the people, especially in rural areas.

"KwaZulu-Natal is the darkest province in the country because many areas are not electrified. But we are changing all that for good.

"In Nkandla alone, our assessment revealed that there are 24000 households with no electricity," Sonjica said.

She Benedict substation was built in 2007.

"These 24000 houses and others that will be built will access electricity from this substation. Of these 24000, 10500 would be electrified soon," she said.

Sonjica said her department had spent R54million to build the substation, and R48million to electrify the 10500 households.

Nine schools in the area would also be electrified.

Zuma said having electricity was the right of the residents as taxpayers .

"We have a right to electricity and other services like all citizens of this country," he said.

He added that the electrification of the area would change the lives of the people, especially the youth.