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Residents in Soweto say the 15.63% electricity tariff increase will cripple them.
The National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) was this week ordered by the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to allow Eskom to recover R10bn in allowable revenue from consumers in the 2021/2022 financial year, throwing ordinary citizens into turmoil.
Snake Park residents told Sowetan that the increase will deter them from paying for electricity.
The community has battled with Eskom in the past over unpaid electricity and illegal connections.
Pensioner Jeremiah Matedimusa said he survives on the R1,780 grant and buys electricity in small amounts. “I buy electricity for R50 here and R30 there, which gives me a few units, like 20 units or 10 units to use,” he said.
Matedimusa, who has been living in Snake Park for six years, said the increase will take most of his grant.
Gladys Mbhele, 71, said she believes electricity in Snake Park is used up quickly because of the illegal connections. “If I buy R100 electricity the next day it’s already finished. This is why so many people here don’t buy electricity, to be quite honest with you,” she said.
Mbhele also said the service the community gets from Eskom is not up to scratch.
Many people echoed her sentiments, with a business owner who sells kotas yelling to Sowetan: “You know in Soweto we don’t pay [for] electricity, right?”
Derrick Sibisi, 50, who works as a welder in Protea Glen, says the increase will be catastrophic for his finances as he already pays a flat rate of R3,000 to his landlord to run his business. “This is really going to affect us because we are already suffering from the financial losses of Covid-19,” he said.
Sibisi, who runs Metal Buildings with a group of welders, said their landlord has already told them that she will be increasing their rate because of the electricity increase.
“Welding uses a lot of electricity and a flat rate means no matter how little business we have because of the pandemic our landlord will still want her money. Even if electricity prices come back down it is unlikely she will reduce the rate,” he said.
Sibisi said he lives with his wife and four children and spends R700 a month on electricity, which gives him 300 units.
“This obviously does not always last the whole month, so sometimes we have to supplement by buying more. We cannot move on with a country that is like this. People are losing jobs every day but the cost of living is increasing,” he said.
Amukelani Chabalala, 42, who braids hair outside the Protea magistrate's court, told Sowetan she spends R400 a month on electricity, which gives her 220 units.
“I live with my four children and I have to cook for them, boil water for them to bath every day and this costs me a lot,” she said.
Chabalala said because she depends on braiding to survive she is worried she will not be able to make ends meet after the tariff hike.
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