South Africans could face massive R3,000 electricity bill hike— Have your say before it’s too late!
Eskom's proposed 36.15% tariff hike could raise electricity costs by R3,000 a month, with public comments open until 1 November.
Eskom has proposed a 36.15% tariff increase, which could raise electricity costs for South Africans by nearly R3,000 more per month compared to 2010. The public has until November 1, 2024, to submit comments and voice their concerns about the steep increase.
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) recently published Eskom’s revenue application for the next three financial years, open for public comment until November 1, 2024.
Eskom’s proposed 36.15% tariff increase will mean South Africans will pay R2,960 more per month for electricity than they did in 2010 — an increase that is far above inflation over the same period.
According to a report by MyBroadband, most of Eskom’s direct residential customers are on the Homepower 4 tariff.
This is designed for households with single-phase 16kVA (80A) connections.
“Those consuming more than 600kWh per month are currently charged R4.54 per kWh. With Eskom’s proposed adjustment, this would increase to R6.18 per kWh.
“All Homepower customers must also pay a fixed network capacity fee, which is charged per day.”
The report furthermore states that for the duration of the 2024/25 financial year, Homepower 4 customers will pay R7.39 per day or R221.70 per month.
“If Eskom’s adjustment of 36.15% is approved, this fixed charge will increase to R10.06 per day or R301.84 per month.
“Considering the changes to both the consumption and capacity charges, an Eskom Homepower 4 customer that consumes 900kWh per month on average will see their bill increase by R1,557.23.
“Heavy consumers that use 1,500kWh per month will see their bills increase by R2,541.96 per month.”
It added that the more conservative Homepower 4 users, who use only 450kWh or 600kWh per month on average, will pay about R538.89 and R1.064.87 more, respectively.
The DA has initiated a petition against the hikes, which has already collected over 100000 signatures.
DA MP and spokesperson on Energy and Electricity Kevin Mileham condemned Eskom’s tariff hike proposal as outrageous.
“These increases threaten households, businesses, municipalities and the broader economy,” Mileham said.
Sign the petition here or give your comment here.
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) released Eskom’s Multi-Year Price Determination (MYPD) for the next three fiscal years on Monday, which showed Eskom submitted total revenue applications of R446 billion, R495bn and R537bn for the fiscal years 2026, 2027 and 2028.
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