By Rural Maintenance (RM)
A company focused on turning around struggling municipalitie’s electricity businesses that are failing to provide electricity services to their communities within the statutory framework requirements.
Rural Maintenance was established in 1993 as an electricity distribution business. Back then there were no struggling municipalities and failing networks and so its core focus was building distribution networks where there were none at the time. Years on as undeveloped areas reduced so Rural’s core focus shifted towards rehabilitation of struggling and broken networks. Today the lack of widespread service delivery is being trumped by the lack of supply of electricity on a national scale.
Rural has, across its 31 year track record, demonstrated how proper, efficient and responsible operation of distribution networks is possible from commercial properties and private towns to municipalities.
1993: Eskom - Operation, maintenance and revenue services for 65,000 customers. From 132kV - 230V customer meter.
2000: Karas Region - Comprising towns of Keetmanshoop, Karasburg and Aranos - complete outsourced electricity service (PPP equivalent) - +-5,600 electricity users.
2004: Redefine Properties - Complete outsourced electricity management service comprising their entire property portfolio (2nd biggest listed landlord in 2013) +-5,000 tenants.
2004: Mozambique ENMo - Our Group secured the first World Bank / Govt. of Mozambique Generation, Distribution and Sale Concession in the Northern Inhambane Province of Mozambique.
2010: ABSA - Energy & Utility Management contract - Responsible for around 720 ABSA properties.
2010: Malawi Millennium Challenge Corp - Our Group was contracted by Millenium Challenge Corporation to design, construct and manage a mini-grid in the Chisanga Falls valley.
2012: Mafube Local Municipality - Comprising towns of Villiers, Frankfort, Tweeling and Cornelia - complete outsourced electricity service (PPP equivalent) - around 15,000 electricity users.
2013: Maluti-A-Phofung - Comprising towns of Harrismith, Kestell, Tshiame and Qwa-Qwa - complete outsourced electricity service (PPP equivalent) - around 118,000 electricity users.
2014: Lesotho European Investment Bank - Construction of complete electrical distribution infrastructure for 27 Villages in Lesotho.
2015: Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality - Strategic reduction of energy losses project.
2019: Modimolle Local Municipality - Revenue enhancement project.
Since the conclusion of Rural's last project abroad, Karas Region Namibia 2000-2017, the Bosch family made a decision to refrain from exploring further international opportunities and rather focus on contributing to solutions for their home South Africa. For the past 6 years the family had been refining their distribution recipe, upgrading their software and information system infrastructure, sharpening their skills resources and preparing for growth to accommodate for a market with multiple energy generation sources and the effect it would have on the distribution business.
A step, at the time, that may have seemed like quite a gamble to others but was inevitable in line with the changing national and international energy landscape.
Since Rural started running in its new defined direction it started noticing community-driven projects and the positive impact they had to unify South Africans and unlock the value in working together. Some community structures worth reading up on that Rural has been able to come across are:
Mafube First
Save Ngwathe
Cederberg Eerste
Tribal Leaders KZN
We have no doubt that there are many more such organizations with more forming each day where communities are forced to endure the repercussions from decisions made by officials not living in those communities themselves and now having to put solutions in place to ensure electricity, water and sanitation services are available.
Rural has supported any and every community that has asked for help. The unfortunate truth is that Rural does not have the capacity to assist every struggling community. We can however assist with the provision of technology and industry know-how generated over 30 years to enable other South African companies with similar skills to also put up their hands and get involved in their local communities to drive the change so desperately needed to ensure a future for all.
The RM Team
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