By Beaven Dhliwayo
Group Features Editor
THE Rural Electrification Agency’s acting CEO, Felister Makumbinde, beamed as she flipped the switch on a 160-kilowatt solar mini-grid in Soti Source, Gutu West, crowning the long-awaited arrival of electricity at schools, a clinic, a business centre, and homes.
“As a long-time advocate for renewable and inclusive energy, it gives me immense joy to see this light up Soti Source—bringing ICT, health, and economic opportunity to families once left behind,” Makumbinde said, her voice echoing amid the cheers of community members.
That morning, no longer dependent on dim kerosene lamps, students wrote poems, danced praises, and hugged their teachers—celebrating not merely power, but promise.
Senator Lovemore Matuke, a vocal supporter of the project, captured local sentiment best: “Teachers now can bring kids into the digital age.
Children who only knew daylight classes will now explore computers. This is hope made real. But we must protect the plant so future generations can use it.”
At Soti Source Primary and Secondary Schools, the hum of new computers filled the air.
Runodada Faith, a primary school pupil, turned shy smiles into bold declarations: “For the first time, I can practice ICT, learn typing and coding. I wake excited to go to class.”
Meanwhile, Victoria Muwani, from the secondary school, said, “We no longer rush our homework before dark. We stay longer, study more—and dream bigger.”
Amid the applause, Chris Mudzengi, Chair of the REA Board, surveyed the scene with pride.
“Since 2002, our solar and biogas-powered models have reached rural institutions kept in the dark. This mini-grid adds to our record, bringing power to classrooms, clinics, and homes. Today’s launch is another step towards a well-lit, hopeful Zimbabwe.”
Energy Minister July Moyo underscored the project’s alignment with the national vision: “This is not just Gutu. Under President Mnangagwa’s ‘no one left behind’ philosophy, this solarisation drive will ripple across the country.
We urge businesses to seize this by feeding surplus power back into the grid, supporting rural transformation.”
He also reminded residents of complementary efforts, including the Presidential Computerisation Scheme, clean cooking technology, and security enhancements through telecom partnerships.
In the sunlight outside the clinic, newly powered refrigerators hummed softly.
Nurses, once relying on ice-packed coolers, now store essential vaccines confidently.
Patients with urgent needs could be treated after dusk.
Councillor Petros Magumise, overseeing Ward 3, nodded: “Electricity brings livelihoods. Tailors, welders, bakers—everyone can stay open longer, work safer, and earn more. Gutu is waking up.”
The solar plant’s optimism extended beyond immediate users.
Streetlights glowed for the first time, and community halls hosted evening literacy classes.
Even livestock herds benefited; a solar-powered water pump filled troughs, easing chores and giving children more time for studies—or play.
The mood at launch was festive: residents in traditional dress sang “Nyeredzi Yesoti,” or “Soti’s Star,” while children dropped poems into the microphone, to sorrow-turned-joy:
“From darkness to brightness, our hearts now beat in light,” Read by a group of secondary students, their voices carried far beyond the compound.
Back at the podium, REA’s Makumbinde promised more: “Soti Source is a beacon. Our goal is to replicate this through the national solar home systems programme, which aims to electrify 1.8 million rural households. Mini-grids like this are not luxury—they are lifelines.”
She also referred to another pilot—Wakwata in Chipinge, which brought 220 kW of solar to homesteads, schools, clinics, and a business centre, proving that small-scale generation can deliver an outsized impact.
Zimbabwe’s drive toward sustainable development is global in practice, yet personal in effect. Across rural Africa, solar energy has become a literal and figurative spark, shining hope into communities long overlooked. Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank, has described rural electrification as foundational to human rights and economic growth.
“Without electricity,” he said, “we can’t get jobs, health, or skills.”
For Gutu West, electricity is more than infrastructure—it’s empowerment. As the day wound down and solar lights bathed the compound, Matuke reflected, voice soft with pride: “We have turned the page. Our children will read by electric light. That is the history we’ve begun today.”
