“Hope He Doesn’t Disappear”: Mzansi Worried as SA Gent Builds Own Power Station on Shallow River
- A man believed to be Melusi Mavuso built a small power station on a shallow river in Mpumalanga, SA
- He used the station to power PlayStation consoles for local children and cook on a two-plate stove to test its capacity
- The video caught fire on social media, sparking both admiration and concern from South Africans online
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Source: Twitter
A man in Mpumalanga has caught South Africa’s attention after building his own small hydropower station on a shallow river and opening it up to his community.
The individual, believed to be Melusi Mavuso, did not just build the station for himself. He invited neighbours, curious onlookers, and young children to come and experience it firsthand. Briefly News could not confirm his identity by the time of publication.
The clip was shared on X by @AyandaYandiey on 4 August 2026, with a caption describing the builder as a “brilliant initiative” that could “inspire and empower many people.”
A lesson in power, literally
In the footage, a group of boys can be seen playing PlayStation games running entirely off the homemade station. To push the system further, the man also fired up a two-plate stove to cook a meal, deliberately testing how much load the station could handle at once.
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He described bringing the children in as “edutainment,” blending learning with entertainment to show young people how energy generation works in a hands-on way. The station appears to harness water flow from a shallow river, a method known as small-scale hydropower.
@AyandaYandiey's video struck a nerve with South Africans who have long endured load shedding and whose frustration with the country’s energy crisis runs deep. Many saw in the clip a reminder of what community-driven innovation could look like when resources are scarce.
Watch the man’s power station clip:
Mzansi reacts with admiration and worry
The post drew a mix of pride and unease in the comments:
@BotziMarcus wrote:
“He is a direct threat to corrupt governance. May he be safe and protected. The last guy with bright ideas allegedly jumped off a roof.”
@Mitchy_Rsa said:
“This is low key a death wish, the idea is good though.”
@Seer7even warned:
“He will disappear, I hope he knows that. They don’t want/need solutions. They want problems, that’s where the profits are.”
The wariness running through the comments reflects a broader mood in South Africa, where home-grown solutions to the energy crisis have become a growing point of public conversation.
More Mzansi innovators
- Elihle Stali from Mdantsane has been shortlisted among the top 150 global innovators for creating AI-powered smart glasses that assist the visually impaired in five languages.
- A South African man has gone viral after demonstrating a clever and stylish way to repurpose empty coffee bottles into modern kitchen storage canisters.
- A creative director named Tawanda Taruvinga shared that he had designed an AI call centre agent.
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Source: Briefly News
