On Friday 29th May, we finally signed a contract with Stellenbosch Municipality in which a monthly “Free Basic Electricity” subsidy will be paid to the iShack Project for each client that receives the solar electricity service. This is a first in South Africa!
The value of the subsidy is R46 and it enables us to keep the service running without additional grant funding in the long term. It also means we can routinely give “December Free” for all clients that keep up their monthly payments throughout the year.
We have been working solidly with the municipality for over 18 months to figure how to make this happen in a way that is compliant with all the policies and regulations and the Municipal Finance Management Act.
All credit to the municipality for supporting this initiative and being prepared to take this innovative leap!