An increase in electricity tariffs would only be a punishment for the poor, the EFF said on Thursday, calling on the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) to reject Eskom’s application for an increase.
The cash-strapped state-owned power utility submitted its fifth multi-year determination revenue application to Nersa in November 2022 requesting a 32% tariff increase. After protracted deliberations, the regulator has confirmed that it will announce its decision on Thursday afternoon.
If the hike is granted, cash-strapped consumers will be under added pressure to pay for their electricity bills amid rolling power cuts that have since been escalated to stage six indefinitely.
EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said Nersa ought to “vehemently” reject Eskom’s application for a hike, noting that South Africans are not to blame for the challenges that Eskom is battling with, but the ANC which has failed in its obligations.
“We [therefore] call upon it [Nersa] to fulfill its obligatory duties and reject the 32% price hike request brought by Eskom,” Thambo said.
“The vast problems of Eskom as a power utility are not as a result of the majority of poor citizens of our country, but are consequences of the ANC, its maladministration and corruption which has been left unattended for decades.
“The corruption includes diesel and coal theft syndicates, as well as dodgy dealings with corrupt and inadequate service providers. To punish poor people, ordinary citizens for this rampant corruption is unethical, immoral and unfair.”
Thambo further argued that electricity tariffs have increased by more than 750% over the past 10 years, all the while loadshedding persists, meaning South Africans are paying for an unguaranteed service.
“Consumers are already paying high electricity prices, which raises eyebrows as to whether Nersa is indeed as independent as it claims to be.
“These electricity hikes happen amidst continuous rolling electricity blackouts, with many parts of South Africa not having electricity for a minimum of six hours a day, while conditions are worse for impoverished areas.
“Citizens are subjected to increasing crime levels due to blackouts, hospitals are struggling to keep people alive, while learners and students are forced to study using candles amongst many inconveniences.”
Thambo added that the proposed price hike is a “deliberate act” of depriving South Africans of electricity, as it will be too expensive to afford, and noted that Eskom should not be using South Africans as “fundraising pawns” for the billions of rands it lost through corruption and poor management.
“Instead, Eskom should be fixing the collapsing electricity grid system designed by apartheid to exclude black people. Eskom should be engaged with maintaining and expanding infrastructure to allow more access and for electricity to reach all corners of our country.
“Eskom must, in addition to other interventions, establish a state green energy industry to supplement energy generation. The entity should desist from giving energy responsibilities to the private sector through independent power producers who have taken steps to leave the majority of our people in perpetual darkness by making electricity inaccessible.”
HE added: “If there is any inch and ounce of independence left within Nersa, which is free from the dictatorship of the corrupt politicians and the elite few, the electricity price hike should be rejected. We await an announcement and decision confirming the rejection.”
Also read: Nersa to decide on Eskom’s 32% tariff increase application
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