If Eskom cannot meet the demands of its current customers, it would be foolhardy to expect it to connect enterprises in townships and rural areas to
Entrepreneurs in rural areas and townships do not have the luxury of waiting for Eskom for a long time to connect them to the grid as they need electricity to operate their businesses urgently.
As the power utility provider struggles to keep the lights in most households on, one entrepreneur has taken over the mantle. Community Chest Chief Executive Officer, Lorenzo Davids, has announced that portable solar powered EcoBoxx Entrepreneur Kits will be used to help entrepreneurs in townships and rural areas power their homes and businesses.
Davids has targeted 963 candidates from the larger Cape Town area to benefit from this project. The beneficiaries will be equipped with the business skills- through basics of business training- and the tools through the portable solar power kit to start their small business.
There are a host of benefits for the end-user, say Davids. ““An entrepreneurial barber, who had selected the right location, could earn up to R800 to R1000 per week if they did eight haircuts at R10 and 16 mobile charges at R5 per day, over a 5-7 work day week.”
Justifying the move, Davids says he realised that the importance of the small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMME) sector is crucial to lifting people out of the poverty trap.
The lightweight, portable kit, which is charged through two solar panels, provides 50 hours of power. Included in the package are two bright LED lights, a USB-driven fan, a pair of hair clippers, and a multi-device cellphone charging cable. It is easily transported and instantly ready for set up at any locale. An aspiring entrepreneur now has the ability to generate an income by opening up a barbershop and selling cellphone charging time anywhere in the community, all powered by free energy from the sun.
