GHL was elected Mayor of Cape Town on Thursday, 18 November. Photo: City of Cape Town.
Cape Town mayor slams Eskom tariff hike as ‘unfair, unaffordable and unjust’
‘South Africans are being asked to pay for corruption and mismanagement at Eskom in the most unfair, unaffordable and unjust way,’ said Hill-Lewis.
GHL was elected Mayor of Cape Town on Thursday, 18 November. Photo: City of Cape Town.
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) granted Eskom an 18.65% increase in electricity tariffs on Thursday, 12 January. The mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis, who spent much of 2022 opposing the increase swiftly expressed his dissatisfaction.
HILL-LEWIS SLAMS ESKOM TARIFF INCREASE
Eskom asked the energy regulator for a 32% tariff increase for the 2023-2024 financial year. NERSA said it needed to make an extremely difficult decision and find the balance between Eskom and consumers.
The 18.65% increase will be effective from 1 April 2023 and a 12.74% increase for 2024-2025 was also granted as the power supplier applied for a 22.52% tariff increase for that financial year in the same application.
READ MORE: NERSA grants Eskom 18.65% tariff hike
“South Africans are being asked to pay for corruption and mismanagement at Eskom in the most unfair, unaffordable and unjust way.
“Eskom has alternative ways to raise funds: by reducing their bloated payroll, by cutting suppliers who are over-charging especially for sub-standard coal, and by ending corruption, including recovering state capture loot,” said Hill-Lewis.
The Cape Town mayor said the metro is working “flat out” to end its reliance on electricity from Eskom and looking to find more diverse and affordable power sources to bring load shedding to an end over time.
“We remain determined to fight for ordinary Capetonians, a staggering number of whom are struggling under the rising cost of living,’ he said.
Hill-Lewis tabled the City’s opposition to the Eskom tariff increase during public NERSA hearings – the most recent time being in September 2022.
The City said 70% of its income electricity sales goes towards buying bulk power from Eskom and the remaining money is used to maintain a healthy grid and electricity infrastructure.
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