Durban – The National Freedom Party has labelled Eskom’s application to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) to approve electricity tariffs an insult, given poor service delivered by the power utility.
Last week, Eskom submitted its tariff restructuring application in the form of a retail tariff plan to NERSA for their consideration for implementation from April 1, next year.
The state-owned power supplier said the implementation of the new tariff structures would reflect cost drivers more accurately, protect all customers’ interests, avoid unfair cross-subsidies, enable fair recovery of costs by all users of the grid, provide the correct economic signals while also ensuring adequate recovery of NERSA approved revenue by Eskom.
However, NFP secretary-general Canaan Mdletshe said South Africans, particularly the poorest, would be greatly affected by these increases, with the majority of the people already unable to cope with the current price of electricity.
"Further increments would hit the pockets of households hard. They are battling and any added charges would definitely impact them negatively. It would be a further burden. They cannot afford any further steep increases.
"It is clear that poor blacks would be in the dark should the proposed tariff increases be approved. We call on civil society movements to stand up, we urge South Africans from all walks of life to rise up. We have already seen the power of unity over the past few days and weeks,” Mdletshe said.
He also called for a national shutdown against what he referred to as a dubious and scandalous proposal by Eskom.
Mdletshe said Eskom was an incompetent institution that had been limping from one challenge to the next and it had no right to make such demands.
He added the NFP had been in talks with at least three political parties on what needs to be done to “stop this nonsensical approach” by the Eskom board.
"But it was clear the moment President Cyril Ramaphosa announced his grand plan on energy, that South Africans would be at the receiving end.
"All this is as a result of a head of state who gets ordered around. President Ramaphosa's weakness is that he takes instructions from certain individuals. But his time is nearing an end. As citizens, we are about to rise,” Mdletshe said.
He further stated the current cost of living in South Africa was high and Eskom was largely to blame for these difficulties that the country was facing.
“It was Eskom's failure to keep the lights on, resulting in many companies closing down and subsequently thousands of people losing their jobs.
“In the meantime, the NFP calls on all municipalities across the country to provide citizens with free solar panels. These panels are offered free of charge to all the people, especially those in dire poverty,” Mdletshe said.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE