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Fight Against Eskom’s Proposed 40% Electricity Hike, At NERSA EC Hearings

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Dear Editor

Today the DA in the Eastern Cape protested at the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) public hearing in Gqeberha, strongly and unequivocally rejecting Eskom’s outrageous 40% tariff increase request.

The Eastern Cape is the most poverty-stricken province in South Africa. It has the highest unemployment rate, is buckling under the strain of the country’s cost-of-living crisis, and will be the hardest hit if Eskom’s proposed 40% price hike is approved by NERSA.

The situation in this province has become so dire that, in the past, some parents, driven by desperation, have allegedly resorted to taking the lives of their children before ending their own, rather than watch their children suffer a slow, agonising death from starvation.

Despite this heartbreaking reality, Eskom is pushing for a 40% increase, which would force families to choose between keeping the lights on or putting food on the table.

The proposed 40% increase includes a 4% hike already approved to cover R8 billion in lost revenue, mainly due to load-shedding and people moving off the grid because Eskom could not provide reliable electricity. The remainder of the increase – 36.15% – is the additional tariff hike Eskom has applied for.

Eskom’s proposal is unthinkable, especially given that the Eastern Cape is in an economic recession, with the expanded unemployment rate approaching 50%. This means that one in every two people in this province lacks the dignity of a job.

With up to 70% of people in some districts living below the poverty line, the province is currently enduring the worst cost-of-living crisis in recorded history.

The DA has launched several initiatives to fight this assault on the people of South Africa, including collecting over 200,000 signatures on our petition opposing the 40% tariff hike.

The voice of the people must matter – that is what it means to live in a Constitutional democracy. NERSA is obligated to consider the DA’s petition.

We will not rest until every citizen has access to the reliable, affordable energy they deserve.

Regards

Dr Vicky Knoetze MPL
DA Leader of the Official Opposition in the Eastern Cape Legislature

Related: Electricity increases for the 2025/26 and 2027/28 financial years

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Port Elizabethan

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