Dylan Bettencourt
South Africans who receive electricity from Eskom will be made to pay 15,6% more from 1 April.
The High Court has authorised the utility to raise R10 billion more as part of its allowable revenue for the current year.
The increase comes as citizens experience load shedding and power failures amidst notoriously bad service delivery.
South African electricity usage increases during the winter months but many households may have to endure the cold this winter with unemployment at 32.5%.
A study conducted by Wayne du Plessis of the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute found that many households have to make difficult decisions about what essentials to buy.
“We found that people have to choose between essentials such as food, clothing, schooling instead of buying electricity,” he said.
Sizwe Palma, spokesperson for Cosatu said the increase will be devastating for many households during the pandemic.
“What is even more concerning is the fact that we’re not seeing what we’re paying for. We continue to experience load shedding and live in a situation where there is no reliable electricity supply,” he said.
Cosatu will be meeting with Pravin Gordhan, Minister of Public Enterprise, to discuss issues such as load shedding and the price hike.
Picture source: @TimesLIVE
