REGIONAL FOCUS BY RAINE ST.CLAIRE
Limpopo
South Africa’s first smart rural village: Gwakwani
K
nown as the Great North, Limpopo province is celebrated for its rich history, abundant natural wonders, and diverse culture. It is a land of ancient and prehistoric secrets, Modjadji–the fabled Rain Queen, the Stone Age and Iron age relics of Makapansgat Valley and the treasures of Mapungubwe that date back to time immemorial. With a population of 93 795, 99.4% are black Africans, and 52% depend on grants and remittances as their main income. To address the challenges, there is a need for job creation interventions and economic opportunities. Investing in education and skills development must be coupled with programmes creating employment to uplift the community in Limpopo.
And that is what happened back in 2014 in the remote Limpopo village of Gwakwani. Home to 100 people, the village had no basic amenities,
unreliable cell phone reception, and no access to the internet. When the School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) heard about the lack of infrastructure they offered to help.
in darkness. When Godfrey, now 35, attended school, Gwakwani had no infrastructure. Only one person had a formal job and funds for essentials like diesel for the borehole pump and paraffin for lamps were scarce.
This was in line with the school’s ethos that “research that does not make a difference does not matter,” says Cornay Keefer, the School of Electrical Engineering’s project manager.
Almost a decade on since the transdisciplinary partnership between the UJs School of Electrical Engineering, the village chief, the local council, Schneider Electric and Sigfox was established, children who had never seen a light now learn English through television at the crèche, school-going children complete homework under bright lights and the solar bakery employs 8 full-time workers.
GWAKWANI: SOUTH AFRICA’S FIRST SMART RURAL VILLAGE This is a story of innovative thinking, strategic resourcing, partnerships, achieving development goals, technological innovations and a rural village that was put on the map for the first time. As a young man, Godfrey Nefolovhodwe walked a 38 km round trip to get to high school every day, a journey that took about three hours each way. His journey started in the dark and ended almost
48 | Public Sector Leaders | December 2023/ January 2024
Sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the technology implemented, while not at the forefront of the 4IR, is impactful, and has introduced transformative changes to provide running water, electricity, access to education and job creation.
