CHAPTER FIVE
5.4. GENERAL COMMUNITY-WIDE BENEFITS FROM ELECTRICITY
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If there is wind/heavy rains or any sudden change in weather people loose access to electricity during these timesbecause the power station just goes down.household. This is noticed as saving time for them, which is devoted to other important household activities, such as survival strategies, in return (Mainly to the better-off /high- income households).
• After the provision of electricity there are many unemployed women, mainly from female- headed households, who have established small businesses as means of survival. This, however, has empowered women because they have been able to improve their livelihoods.
5.4.3. Advantages/opportunities electricity brings to men
• Now that there is electricity men can assist in the performance of domestic activities due to the user friendliness of modem electric appliances. This is easing the burden on women in performing household domestic activities (Mainly to the better off/high-income households).
• Like in the case of women, there has been the accumulation of small businesses that are established by poor unemployed men, as means of survival.
• There has been an abundance of ice-cold beer for men in shebeens, taverns and bottle stores (although this is subject to criticisms by the community at large, as will be seen later in this chapter, people who are consuming beer and business owners acknowledge it).
5.4.4. Advantages/opportunities electricity brings to old people
• Now that there is a brighter light in the community during the night the old (elderly) people are able to manoeuvre around the neighbourhood. Itwas impossible in the dark environment when electricity was not yet available.
• During cold winter seasons the old people are able to get unlimited and improved space heating (Mainly to the better off/high-income households).
• They are now able to watch TV, which can enhance their knowledge about the world, through the dissemination of information/news. This can also provide them with a great deal of entertainment that was not there in the past.
5.4.5. General advantages experienced by the community [Positive externalities]
• There is now a brighter and well-improved lighting around the community at night, which allows people to manoeuvre freely and easily even to strange places.
• Crime and deviant behaviour such as housebreaking and property stealing that usually take place during the night have deteriorated because the deviants are scared of being caught under the bright light.
• Since there is extensive unemployment in rural areas many people have anticipated the advantage of accessing electricity by opening up small businesses as a means of survival and employment creation, thus, alleviating poverty and deprivation. Many people now are able to gain their livelihoods, more especially women.The availability of extensive local businesses also makes more of what people want (goods and services) to be available closer to them.
This is noticed to diminish the burden of spending too much money, going to towns to purchase bundles of groceries day after day.
• Electricity has created a lot of entertainment opportunities for the rural poor, because now there are many people who own a variety of appliances/devices such as TV s, VCRs, radios/hi- fi systems, satellite dishes (DSTV), TV/computergames e.g. play stations for children and so on (Mainly accrued to the better-off/high-income households but as indirect benefits to others by accessing them through their neighbours).
• Forests, mountains and community plantations are no longer potential victims for acquiring firewood as a source of energy. Although there are still some people who are using this source of energy, they are mainly using it during big ceremonies.The poorest people are also using this source of energy but it is acknowledged by the community that people who are collecting firewood from forests and mountains have decreased in numbers after the provision of electricity. Now that there is electricity, people want to keep up the standards, as they are using better alteruative sources such as paraffin in most of their activities, most importantly for cooking. Indeed, in Chapter Two, it has been argued that in some circumstances the provision of electricity to low-income households will reduce their consumption of wood (Smith, 1998).
5.4.6. General disadvantages experienced by the community [Negative externalities]
Electricity is generally perceived as bringing prosperity to the rural poor. Although this is true, there are other negative unforeseen realities with regard to the availability of electricity.
There are many shebeens, taverns and bottle stores that have developed after the provision of electricity. Although the prime reason of establishing these small businesses is that they are
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means of survival/coping strategies, there are important problems experienced through this.
They are as follows:
• Many people coming from the poor vulnerable households spend too much of their income in liquor consumption, thus saving nothing for household consumption. This perpetuates poverty indeed.
• Another problem is that young men and women, boys and girls who are schooling children (the prime assets of the nation) end up getting trapped in these places as drunkards. They come to these places for entertainment such as music, computer games (play station) and pool (snooker), as this is their main reason. But they end up consuming and abusing liquor, which is very bad and dangerous to their lives and those of others
• Many people in rural areas are illiterate. They do not know how to use electricity. There are major risks manifested to the people's lives when power lines fall down. Itis accentuated by some people that there is an accident that happened in the community when three people who were going to church on a particular Sunday morning were killed. These people were trying to jump over the power lines that fell down due to the burning of veld fires.