The DA will approach the High Court over NERSA’s tariff hike. Image: Pixabay.
DA’s court challenge on NERSA-approved 30% tariff hike to be heard on Monday
The DA wants the 30% tariff hike NERSA granted to Eskom to be declared invalid and set aside as load shedding persists.
The DA will approach the High Court over NERSA’s tariff hike. Image: Pixabay.
The Democratic Alliance (DA)’s challenge against the 30% tariff hike the energy regulator granted to Eskom will be heard at the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Monday, 11 September.
DA COURT CHALLENGE ON TARIFF HIKE TO BE HEARD IN COURT
As previously reported by The South African, Eskom was granted a 18.65% tariff increase for the 2023/2024 financial year, and another 12.74% increase for the next financial year. The price hike kicked in on 1 April 2023.
The DA said electricity tariffs have increased by more than 650% since the electricity crisis started in 2007, which is quadruple the inflation rate over the same period.
In January this year the opposition party approached the High Court to have the recent Eskom tariff hike granted by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) overturned.
The DA instructed its lawyers to apply for an interdict against the increase pending the following relief:
- The DA argues that NERSA’s decision of 12 January 2023 is inconsistent with the Constitution and should be declared invalid and set aside.
- The party wants the court to have the ongoing decisions to implement load shedding declared invalid and set aside as it is inconsistent with the Constitution.
- To have the government’s response to the energy crisis declared invalid and set aside as it is inconsistent with the Constitution.
- The DA also wants the court to declare that the government’s response to the electricity crisis failed to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights in the Bill of Rights and thereby limited several rights enshrined in the Constitution.
The case will be heard at the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Monday, 11 September 2023.
The party said it is taking this unaffordable and offensive national increase on review, because people across South Africa can no longer afford the out of control price hikes that the ANC national government continues to force onto them across the board.
