Around 500 families living in the administrative post of Maluana, Manhiça district, Maputo province, are demanding the fulfilment of a community electrification promise made more than a decade ago by ECOBOM, the former owner of a mineral water bottling plant in the region.
The dissatisfaction gained momentum after the plant was sold at public auction to the company Refrigerantes Spar for 600,000 dollars (38.4 million meticals), according to a decision validated by the Maputo City Judicial Court in 2022.
The promise of access to energy was formalised in 2014, when ECOBOM undertook to facilitate the extension of the electricity grid to the local community, as part of the social responsibility obligations linked to the installation of the factory. However, this commitment never materialised, and the residents continue to live without electricity.
‘They took our land, promised us electricity and to this day we live in the dark. Our children are growing up without knowing what electricity is,’ laments Rolecha Baloi, a resident of Maluana. The Chirinza and Dliwana areas are some of the worst affected.
With the transfer of ownership, Refrigerantes Spar claims not to have inherited ECOBOM’s social obligations. ‘The acquisition contract is clear: the social responsibilities are those of the previous company,’ said Sulemane Padamo, executive director of the new owner.
Even so, Refrigerantes Spar provided some materials, such as poles and a transformer station, which were handed over to Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM). This public company confirmed receipt of the equipment, but made electrification conditional on payment of an estimated 6.9 million meticals.
Despite the positive signalling, there are still no deadlines set for the project’s realisation. ‘We went to EDM, but to this day we have no dates. The community is tired and demands an answer within 45 days,’ said Flávio Nhambi, another local resident.
While the companies and institutions remain undefined, the people of Maluana continue to live without electricity, waiting for a promise made more than ten years ago, now rekindled by a million-dollar sale, to finally become a reality.
O País
