On 1 July 2024, Midvaal Local Municipality was among the local municipalities that implemented the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (NERSA) 12.72% increase in electricity tariffs.

In just a few days, the municipality has been inundated with complaints from across our communities, with residents bemoaning how expensive it has become to access electricity.

According to independent estimates, electricity prices have grown by more than 450% since 2008, a tariff increase that is six times higher than the inflation rate.

These increases have had and continue to have a catastrophic impact on South Africans, especially low-income households who must choose between basic items such as groceries or electricity.

Although the right to electricity is not explicitly expressed in the text of the Constitution, it is fundamental for maintaining basic living standards.

Without electricity, people are deprived of basic necessities, such as lighting, refrigeration of food items and the simple ability to take a warm bath, especially in this harsh winter season.

Electricity reduces reliance on harmful fuels like coal and wood which have been proven to cause respiratory issues.

Access to electricity allows people to engage in income-generating activities, reducing poverty and improving their economic status.

Section 10 of the South African Constitution protects the right to human dignity, and electricity enables individuals to access a basic standard of living, thereby contributing to the realisation of human dignity.

Access to electricity is quickly becoming a luxury that many ordinary South Africans will not be able to afford.

South Africans are already struggling with the high cost of living, and the double-digit increase in electricity tariffs will further drive them into a life of poverty.

The unaffordability of electricity may lead people to take drastic measures such as connecting to the grid illegally, further weakening municipalities’ revenue collection and their ability to provide services.

Should this trend continue, it will lead to energy deprivation, further pushing up the scales against the poor who are already struggling in this economy.

Ordinary South Africans cannot be expected to carry the burden of the rampant corruption and mismanagement that has been so prevalent at Eskom.

Instead of addressing the institutional challenges that Eskom faces and providing tangible reforms to the current energy crisis, the government seems determined to pass the cost on to South Africans through constant and endless billion-rand bailouts (carried by taxpayers) and the NERSA-approved increases.

Municipalities such as Midvaal must now face the full wrath of angry residents who are struggling to stay afloat in this economy and keep their lights on.

ISSUED ON BEHALF OF THE OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE MAYOR:

Yours in Service Excellence, Ald. Peter Teixeira

#PeoplesMayor

For media enquiries, please contact:

Idah Satikhe

Senior Media Officer: Office of the Executive Mayor

MokgadiS@midvaal.gov.za or 010 494 3112

Download the full statement.