‘Staying off the grid but still have high bills,’ residents say after electricity hike
Residents say by trying to save electricity, they still cannot afford the increased electricity tariff of 7.4%.
“We cannot afford to live anymore.”
This is how Pretoria residents reacted to the 7.4% electricity tariff increase implemented this July.
Despite the municipality’s increase not reaching the 20.5% that Eskom initially applied for, Pretoria residents say that they are not coping with this latest electricity increase.
Resident Heather Liebenberg said her electricity bill was R800 more this month.
She said cutting off things such as the pool pump completely, not using the oven and only switching the geysers on for a few hours, did not help much.
“It is also despite having power outages and load-shedding. I cannot do this anymore,” Liebenberg said.
“A month’s household budget is finished in two weeks, no treats or money wasted. We cannot pay all our bills anymore. Yet they keep increasing electricity.”
Another resident, Jannie Smiet, said not using his electric stove and kettle and using gas instead did not save money for him. Smiet said his bill was also R800 more.
“I received the new tariffs for water and power. When doing a calculation on the used units and the amount billed for, it is at a higher price per unit than the new rates; so they are making their own prices,” Smiet said.
“I have not been using the stove, oven and tumble dryer for almost four months but still more units are being billed.
“Either just accept it and pay – or get your supply cut off. These property management guys are all good at the start but getting them to clarify or assist with anything is a losing battle, tariffs are already insane and then they put a mark-up on that as well,” he said.
Another resident, Christina Mendes, said her average bill before July was R3 400 a month but it has now increased to R5 040, adding “this is even though we have load-shedding for at least four hours per day over the past month”.
Eskom had applied for a 20.50% electricity tariff increase for the 2022/23 financial year, but the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) approved an increase of 7.47% for municipal customers.
Tshwane mayor Randall Williams was among the municipalities that voiced their unhappiness over the increase.
Williams described the increase as “exorbitant”.
“It will have a detrimental effect on Tshwane residents and the financial sustainability of the metro,” he said.
The power utility earlier this year indicated it would again apply for a double-digit increase of 15.07% to be implemented next year.
Earlier this month, Gauteng North High Court in Pretoria ordered Nersa to publish Eskom’s application for the 2023/24 increase by August 1 for public participation and to make a decision by December.
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