Net1 Mobile initiative brings solar-powered solutions to SA communities

Net1 Mobile Solutions recently partnered with South African-companies and organisations to bring care-packs to hundreds of pupils at Jon Kotlolo School and the local community, in Pretoria, South Africa. These packs included the company’s Sun-e-light — a solar-powered lamp and mobile phone charger.

“We created Sun-e-light for South Africans who have little or no access to electricity, as an ongoing corporate social investment project,” said Philip Belamant, Managing Director of N1MS. The first edition of the Sun-e-light costs R270 (US$27) and is a solar-powered lamp to be used as a torch or charge mobile phones.

The next generation Sun-e-light — available in the next few months — can be used as a WiFi hotspot, giving learners access to academic material, and school graduates access to job-searching portals, for example. The company says it wants to keep the price tag as low as possible and will expect it to cost around R300 (US$30).

Belamant stressed the need for such a device in many South African communities:

“We heard that the students at Jon Kotlolo Primary School are often victims to power cuts, if they have electricity in their homes at all, and we hope that the Sun-e-lights will give them the light that they need to do their homework and study. Nelson Mandela, who we honoured with this pilot project, said that education is the greatest engine of personal development — and we want make it possible for these learners to achieve their full potential.”

A community member, Mama Mazibuko, “You have no idea how much this will help my family, we have so many power cuts here that last for days, and we can now use the lamp to light up our house and charge our phones so I can call my family and know they are always safe.”

Belmant explains that the device is more about providing light and aims to improve accessibility and connectivity. He further states, “We will be distributing the solar lamp at schools and tertiary educational facilities across South Africa in the coming months, in areas where learners do not have access to a consistent electricity supply.”