Africa-Press – Eswatini. For many years, illegal electricity connections were a harsh reality for households in Eswatini’s Shiselweni Region.
Families desperate for access to power often relied on unsafe and improvised connections, where one legally connected house supplied electricity to several neighbouring structures using makeshift cables draped across rooftops and walls. While this provided temporary light, it exposed entire communities to serious danger.
These connections were not acts of defiance, but survival strategies. Many households simply could not afford the costs associated with proper wiring and official electricity connections. As a result, illegal extensions became widespread, bringing with them the constant risks of fire outbreaks, electrocution, damaged appliances and frequent power outages.
Today, that dangerous chapter is steadily coming to an end.
Through the Network Reinforcement and Access Project (NRAP), implemented by the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) with support from the World Bank and in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy, more than 8 000 households in Shiselweni are being safely and legally connected to electricity.
At Tfutfuka Dvoye Group Scheme in the Nkonka Chiefdom, under Matsanjeni South Inkhundla in the Shiselweni Region, tangible progress is already evident. According to scheme representative Ndumiso Ndlangamandla, all 50 households under Group A have now been fully connected.
“Most of these households already had electricity, but they were illegally supplying power to several other houses from one meter,” he explained. “Now each household has its own proper connection.”
The scheme, which consists of 150 households divided into two groups, is continuing to make progress, with connections for Group B currently underway. More than half of the members have already completed their wiring, paving the way for free and legal connections by EEC.
Illegal electricity connections may have offered short-term relief, but the long-term risks were severe. Overloaded cables often led to fires, children faced constant danger of electrocution, and entire neighbourhoods experienced blackouts when one connection failed. During the rainy season, exposed wiring posed an even greater threat to life.
Under NRAP, EEC teams are not only connecting households but also educating communities about the dangers of illegal connections. Residents are encouraged to wire their homes correctly, after which EEC completes the connection at no cost. This approach ensures safety, fairness and equal access to electricity.
Previously, the high cost of wiring and connection fees forced many families into illegal practices that were both dangerous and punishable by law. NRAP has fundamentally changed this reality. While households are still responsible for wiring their structures, the removal of connection fees has made legal access achievable for many.
Community leaders have welcomed the initiative, praising its impact on safety and dignity. Nelisiwe Motsa, Chairperson of the Khanyisani Madulini Group, said the project has brought renewed hope.
“Now each home will have its own meter, its own safe supply, and its own future,” she said.
Her group benefits 87 users, including small shops, a poultry project and a Neighbourhood Care Point that provides food to orphaned and vulnerable children.
As NRAP continues to expand across Shiselweni, the region is not only becoming brighter but safer and more empowered. One household at a time, legal electricity connections are transforming lives and building a more secure future.
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