More than 100,000 people have signed a petition against Eskom's proposed 36% electricity tariff increase submitted to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) for the upcoming financial year.
In August the DA launched a petition calling for an urgent review of the proposed increase, arguing it would force many South Africans to make a difficult choice between putting food on the table and keeping the lights on, and calling for a debate to be held in parliament.
The debate took centre stage in parliament on Thursday.
DA MP Kevin Mileham called for an urgent review of how the electricity sector is structured.
“The DA calls for a clear picture of what the role of the national transmission company is in terms of procuring electricity, and where Eskom fits into the picture,” he said.
“We need to have a dialogue on how Nersa determines the tariffs and what can be done to foster greater transparency. We also need to ensure tariffs are implementable and can withstand rigorous scrutiny. For far too long the tensions between Nersa and Eskom have resulted in court cases, disputes and rulings that have ended up costing you, me and every member of the public more. It has reached the point where ordinary South Africans are being forced to choose between having electricity or putting food on the table, and between having petrol in their car or power in their home.”
He called on parliament to put a spotlight on the affordability of electricity.
“As parliament and as government, we need to be doing everything we can to make electricity more affordable. The DA will not allow the tariff increases to stand unchallenged. We will fight for the right of every South African to have access to affordable electricity.”
Despite more than 100 without load-shedding, Mileham maintained this cannot be a cause for celebration.
“ A further 900,000 households are subjected to up to four hours of load reduction daily. Essentially, this is load-shedding by another name. I raised this because it is Eskom's policies and practices that have an enormous effect on ordinary citizens and our economy.”
According to Mileham, an average household using 350 kilowatt hours of electricity in 2007 would have paid R69.30. He said today they are paying R724.50.
“One of the most severe impacts is that of electricity pricing. It is often claimed South Africa has some of the cheapest electricity in the world. However, that is no longer the case. Our electricity prices place us well among the top 50% globally.
“Electricity prices have risen more than 945% over the past 17 years, far outstripping inflation. It should therefore be no surprise that more than 100,000 South Africans have signed an online petition to say ‘no’ to Eskom's demands for exorbitant electricity price increases.”
TimesLIVE
More than 100,000 South Africans say 'No' to proposed 36% electricity price hike
Ordinary people must 'choose between having electricity or putting food on the table'
Image: Refiloe Ntsekhe/ DA/ X
More than 100,000 people have signed a petition against Eskom's proposed 36% electricity tariff increase submitted to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) for the upcoming financial year.
In August the DA launched a petition calling for an urgent review of the proposed increase, arguing it would force many South Africans to make a difficult choice between putting food on the table and keeping the lights on, and calling for a debate to be held in parliament.
The debate took centre stage in parliament on Thursday.
DA MP Kevin Mileham called for an urgent review of how the electricity sector is structured.
“The DA calls for a clear picture of what the role of the national transmission company is in terms of procuring electricity, and where Eskom fits into the picture,” he said.
“We need to have a dialogue on how Nersa determines the tariffs and what can be done to foster greater transparency. We also need to ensure tariffs are implementable and can withstand rigorous scrutiny. For far too long the tensions between Nersa and Eskom have resulted in court cases, disputes and rulings that have ended up costing you, me and every member of the public more. It has reached the point where ordinary South Africans are being forced to choose between having electricity or putting food on the table, and between having petrol in their car or power in their home.”
He called on parliament to put a spotlight on the affordability of electricity.
“As parliament and as government, we need to be doing everything we can to make electricity more affordable. The DA will not allow the tariff increases to stand unchallenged. We will fight for the right of every South African to have access to affordable electricity.”
Despite more than 100 without load-shedding, Mileham maintained this cannot be a cause for celebration.
“ A further 900,000 households are subjected to up to four hours of load reduction daily. Essentially, this is load-shedding by another name. I raised this because it is Eskom's policies and practices that have an enormous effect on ordinary citizens and our economy.”
According to Mileham, an average household using 350 kilowatt hours of electricity in 2007 would have paid R69.30. He said today they are paying R724.50.
“One of the most severe impacts is that of electricity pricing. It is often claimed South Africa has some of the cheapest electricity in the world. However, that is no longer the case. Our electricity prices place us well among the top 50% globally.
“Electricity prices have risen more than 945% over the past 17 years, far outstripping inflation. It should therefore be no surprise that more than 100,000 South Africans have signed an online petition to say ‘no’ to Eskom's demands for exorbitant electricity price increases.”
TimesLIVE
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