The 12.74% electricity tariff increase for Eskom customers as from 1 April, and as from 1 July for the City of Cape Town customers, is not an April Fool's joke. The stark reality is that it will affect the poorest of poor.
Purchasing solar panels is an expensive option and the average resident can ill afford this alternative. It is imperative that energy saving measures be implemented by already battling households.
With a fuel price hike also looming, consumers face a bleak future and will battle to balance household budgets. The consequential price hike in fuel tariffs will have a knock-on effect on the price of basic foodstuffs.
Salaries, wages and social grants cannot keep up with inflation which currently stands at 5.6%.
Currently, consumers are paying for ailing Eskom's massive debt and the increase in electricity tariffs is most unwelcome.
* Councillor Mark RH Kleinschmidt(DA), Ward 60, Lansdowne.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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