Parliament will rubber-stamp Eskom’s blatant attempt to bleed South Africans dry, with a proposed 40% electricity tariff hike next year.
National assembly speaker Thoko Didiza confirmed that officials will engage in a futile exercise to debate the legality of the energy regulator’s decision to allow Eskom to add an R8-billion “make-up tariff” next year, a move that will only serve to further enrich the embattled utility company’s corrupt executives.
The state-run company is also planning to request energy regulator Nersa approve a further 36% increase in electricity tariffs in 2025, effectively pricing out the poor and marginalized from accessing a basic human necessity. Electricity prices have roughly tripled in South Africa over the past 14 years, even as sustained power cuts have led to widespread poverty and desperation.
‘Economic Suicide’
“This proposed tariff hike is economic suicide for South Africa. It’s a desperate attempt by Eskom to stay afloat while its executives enjoy lavish lifestyles funded by the poor and vulnerable,” said a senior DA MP, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of retribution from Eskom’s powerful union.
If the regulator grants Eskom’s request, the already-struggling South African population will be forced to choose between buying food or paying their electricity bills, further exacerbating the country’s crippling poverty and inequality.
Read next: Eskom’s Latest Scam: Delinquent Municipalities Owe the Utility R82-Billion
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