Hundreds of outraged residents march against tariff hikes and load-shedding
Residents say they are already facing financial difficulties and cannot afford these price hikes which are exponentially growing as compared to our economy.
SOUTH Durban residents embarked on a massive march against tariff increases on May 26 and handed a memorandum to city officials highlighting the effects of power outages.
Members of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) were joined by over 1 000 residents at the march from Speakers Corner in Bram Fischer Road to Durban City Hall.
SDCEA’s founder, Desmond D’Sa, said he was proud of the hundreds of people who were against the tariff increases and joined in solidarity to the scrapping of tariff increases.
“As an environmental justice organization, it is our duty to highlight the effects of injustices on our people. I was proud to see so the masses come out in their numbers from various organisations and different communities to join their voices with our as we say no to further increases when we bare the brunt of power cuts,” added D’Sa.
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The 2023/2024 proposed tariff increase for property rates is 8.9% on average, while water is 14.9% for residential users and 15.9% for business users. Sanitation was proposed to be increased at 11.9% for residential and 12.9% for business, while electricity is at a 21.91% increase for all, subject to approval from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA). The proposed tariff increase for refuse is at 8% for domestic and 7% to 9% for sundry and business.
Sdcea’s energy and just transition project officer, Kershni Ramreddi, said Eskom and NERSA’s collective decision to increase the tariff price by 18.65% as of July 1, 2023, will pose as a major challenge to communities.
“People are already facing financial difficulties and cannot afford these price hikes which are exponentially growing as compared to our economy. As an organisation, we have hosted multiple meetings on the electricity crisis, and people have shared their frustrations, while evidently producing their ridiculously high electricity bills.
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“There needs to be a thorough review of the proposed tariff increases and their potential impact on households, especially those already struggling with unemployment and poverty. Engagements need to be held with Eskom and other relevant stakeholders to prioritise service delivery and find immediate solutions to reduce load-shedding and improve overall reliability. Options to provide compensation or relief measures for the losses incurred by households due to damaged perishable goods during power outages also need to be explored,” added Ramreddi.
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