State-owned Eskom is aiming to achieve universal access to electricity by 2020 and more than 4 000 new households across the Western Cape have been connected to the grid since January.
Cape Town executive mayor Patricia de Lille officially switched on electricity for close to 800 households in the Klipheuwel community on August 11.
The Klipheuwel area is an informal settlement, but the City of Cape Town is planning to formalise the area by installing sewer pipelines and creating access pathways.
“The city is proud to be part of this project. Negotiations with the previous land owner took many years but finally in February 2016, we had a breakthrough when the city purchased the land for R943 500 which allowed the electrification project to commence,” she said.
The Klipheuwel community was previously located on private property and the City of Cape Town had to buy the land before Eskom could proceed with the electrification project. Eskom, by law, is not allowed to electrify anyone who has settled on private land, road reserves and flood plains.
The electrification project took six months to complete.