Energy is a scarce commodity, and in South Africa, the power is cut off for several hours every day. These power cuts, known as loadshedding, have been in place for several years already but have never been as severe as they are now. The state-owned power utility Eskom, which operates the nationwide grid and provides almost all of South Africa's energy, is taking this measure to avoid a complete blackout.

Thanks to the great contribution of Yanfeng and SolarAfrica, our school has now reduced its dependence on the national grid and the savings can be invested in the further education of our kids,” said Lou Billett, Chairperson and Founder of African Angels Trust.

The school is located in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, about 40 km outside East London. The school is an English medium school and has no more than 20 children in each class, allowing each child to receive individual attention and support.

“We believe that a high-quality education enables our children to seize opportunities later in life to become productive, employed and responsible citizens of South Africa,” explained Lou Billett.

Building a nation through education also requires a stable power supply

This is not Yanfeng’s first project with African Angels. Some employees previously volunteered with the school and the company also donated furniture and a kitchen.

“We are very aware of our social responsibility as a company and know that there are disadvantaged people in our communities. Because of this, we have decided to continue supporting this local school project together with SolarAfrica as our partner,” said Simon Pella, Senior Manager Procurement at Yanfeng. “My special thanks to them and their CEO David McDonald, as they funded 50% of the project.”

SolarAfrica also designed the solar panel system and can monitor it remotely – giving them access to operational information at all times to support future maintenance efforts.

Both companies are pleased to support a school in South Africa and contribute to the country's green economy and educational system. These efforts complement the school's motto: “We are building a nation through education – thanks to a stable power supply with our new solar panel generation.”