The residents of Tembisa in Ekurhuleni took to the streets to protest on Sunday night and Monday morning that they cannot afford the latest electricity tariff surcharge.
Several major routes in Tembisa were blocked off with stones, burning tyres and large boulders.
WATCH | Protestors in Tembisa block the mayor’s convoy as he prepares to address them regarding increased electricity tariffs in the area.
— Sowetan LIVE (@SowetanLIVE) July 21, 2025
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The new electricity tariff surcharge of R126 a month, was implemented from the beginning of July.
At this point, they want to turn us to crime and do illegal connections because we are really struggling, but they don’t see that
— Mithe Mokgotadi, resident
Mithe Mokgotadi, 55, who said he has lived in Tembisa his whole, told Sowetan: “In May, I was billed R12,000, and this month I’ve been billed R3,000, that is for everything, from your rates to water. And on top of that, I still need to make payment for electricity. Paying R250 gets you at least 64 units, but that is not enough. It can barely last you three days at most, and so I have to keep buying electricity.
WATCH | Tembisa resident Josephina Siboni (62) says she does not understand the newly introduced tariffs and what they mean. She says when buying electricity, the units do not reflect accordingly.
— Sowetan LIVE (@SowetanLIVE) July 21, 2025
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“I live in a house where there is more than five of us and I don’t have a job. I only sell apples and some vegetables from home to make do with what I have. But it’s not enough, because at least in a month, I spend R3,000 on electricity, and now they want to make matters worse by increasing the tariff.
“At this point, they want to turn us to crime and do illegal connections because we are really struggling, but they don’t see that. They are mugging us of the little we have,” said Mokgotadi.
Another resident, Enos Mohlari, 60, said he applied to fall into the indigent category in April and is baffled as to why he has been billed.
“Just a few days ago, I received a statement saying that I owed the municipality more than R3,000, but I am being forced to pay,” he said.
“My hands are tied because I don’t have the money to pay these bills. I don’t work at all, but they’re billing me amounts that I don’t have in my accounts. And now they want us to pay more for electricity. It’s not fair, the units we get barely get us by.”
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