Cape Town proudly announced the successful electrification of 58 households in the Greenfields informal settlement in the Helderberg area. The completion of this project marks a step forward in improving the lives of vulnerable residents.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Energy – Alderman Xanthea Limberg said that the City of Cape Town has invested more than R912,000 in the Greenfields infill electrification project. It was completed in July 2025 despite a number of challenges including adverse weather conditions and others.
As per Limberg, the commitment of the Energy Teams of the City of Cape Town, and contractors with community partners ensured the project, that was brought to successful completion.
She added that this project holds particular importance as a portion of Greenfields, which was recently devastated by a fire. Their teams remain in the community to safely reconnect residents who were affected by the blaze.
Furthermore, this demonstrates the unwavering commitment of the City of Cape Town to restore and improve community infrastructure, by providing residents with the tools to build a better future for their families.
The formal electricity connections will also see residents in this area benefit from the subsidised lifeline tariff of the City of Cape Town, which includes up to 60 free basic electricity units on their prepaid purchases monthly, reducing overall household costs.
City of Cape Town remains committed to its mission of improving the lives of residents and to extend essential services to communities in need. They will continue to work to create safer, healthier and more connected living conditions for residents across the Cape Town.
Notably, access to electricity brings multiple benefits to the Greenfields community. Families are now able to light their homes safely, reducing the reliance on candles and paraffin, which pose significant fire risks.
School learners and university students can study in the evenings with proper lighting, while homes can refrigerate food and use essential appliances. Importantly, in addition to the electricity connections, beneficiaries will also receive an allocation of up to 60 units of Free Basic Electricity (FBE) on the City’s subsidised Lifeline Tariff.
The Municipal Finance Management Act determines that public money cannot be used for enhancing private property and the City of Cape Town can only assist backyarders and informal settlement dwellers residing on City-owned property and where site conditions allow for this.
The City continues to seek ways to invest greater resources in driving electrification projects for backyarders and residents in informal settlements, where feasible and also with Eskom, where applicable. In older, City-supplied informal settlements, almost 100% of settlements have been electrified where it has been feasible to do so.