RESIDENTS can expect to get even less power for their buck with a new electricity tariff.
Civil rights organisation, AfriForum, ward councillor Alderman Bruna Haipel and residents alike have expressed concern and outrage over the new tariff.
This comes after a R10 monthly fixed charge for prepaid electricity has been added to all purchases.
“I am extremely upset that this was sneaked in with not so much as a warning. According to the budget, the increase for electricity would be 1.8 percent. Nowhere was there mention of a fixed charge for prepaid a meter,” says Haipel.
There is some speculation that the tariffs were removed from the Electricity Oversight Committee and added on the Finance Oversight Committee, precisely to have it overlooked and pushed through.
“It’s blatant theft. You pay for a certain amount of electricity and you get less because of some nonsensical and downright criminal tariff added without your knowledge. Now imagine millions of people paying R10 extra each every month! It’s disgusting,” adds an upset resident.
“The City of Ekurhuleni introduced a R10 monthly fixed charge on Tariff B prepayment as from July 1.
“The reason for the monthly charge on the prepayment metering system relates to the introduction of renewable energy installations. Installations of this kind are able to leverage a prepayment tariff rate (in previous years) with no fixed charges to offset monthly costs in relation to capital assets, such as the meter, cables, transformers and other distribution assets.
“The City of Ekurhuleni does not at all discourage renewable energy installations. It has an obligation to ensure a fair distribution of costs. The R10 monthly fixed charge added to prepayment meters on Tariff B ensures that customers are not subsidizing stands with renewable energy installations,” said Themba Gadebe, Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality spokesperson.
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