Tian Xuejun (third left), Chinese ambassador to South Africa and Bongi Ngema-Zuma (center), South Africa's First Lady at the hand-over ceremony, Mamelodi SOS Children's Village, Pretoria, August 7, 2013.

The Mamelodi SOS Children's Village in Pretoria, South Africa, will soon become a green village with the installation of 15, 300-liter solar geyser units recently donated by the Chinese embassy. 

The use of the solar heaters will contribute to the greening efforts of the village and help it cut R700,000 on electricity bills every year, according to the spokesperson of the village. 

Tian Xuejun, Chinese Ambassador to South Africa, said at the donations hand-over ceremony that he visited the village as a representative of 1.3 billion Chinese people, and he brought with him best wishes as well as solar geysers from China to help make life in the village more comfortable and more environmentally-friendly. Tian said the donation works towards President Zuma's plan of having a million solar heaters in the country by the end of 2014.

"We hope to work together with our South African friends to make our global village a better place," Tian said. 

"Renewable energy projects such as these will greatly benefit the environment and expand the diversity of energy supply in South Africa," said National Director of SOS Children's Village South Africa, Siphiwe Maphanga.