By Dylan Bettencourt
- The National Energy Regulator says households will face hikes of 8.76% in 2026 and 8.83% in 2027, on top of the increases we’re already paying.
- The mistake means Eskom is entitled to an extra R54-billion over three years, and that cash will come straight from ordinary consumers.
South Africans already stretched by food, petrol and rent hikes will soon pay even more just to keep the lights on.
The energy regulator, Nersa, has corrected a mistake it made in Eskom’s price application, and that error is going to cost us.
Instead of the smaller increases we were told to expect, households and businesses will now face an 8.76% hike in 2026 and an 8.83% hike in 2027. That’s on top of the painful yearly increases we’ve already been carrying.
For a family that pays R2,000 a month for electricity, that’s almost R180 extra in 2026, and another R190 in 2027.
Nersa says Eskom is owed R54-billion more over three years because of the mistake, and the only way to cover it is through our bills, BusinessTech reported.
Officials insist they are spreading the hikes out to “avoid shocks”, but for South Africans already living on tight budgets, every extra rand is another heavy blow.
Eskom claims the increases are needed after a “data error” in calculating generation costs. The utility had originally claimed it was short-changed by more than R100-billion, but Nersa found the gap was about half that.
Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa recently told SABC News that electricity prices have gone up 600% in the last 10 years.
With inflation expected to stay around 3.5% in 2025, the new tariff hikes will feel like an extra tax we can’t afford, and they could push up the prices of everything else too.
Pictured above: Eskom.
Image source: File
