Electricity price hike unacceptable, says Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba
Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba said on Thursday the National Energy Regulator of SA's (Nersa’s) decision to increase electricity tariffs in 2019/2020 was "simply unacceptable". "Given the poor state of the national economy and the massive corruption at Eskom itself, the city, on the behalf of our residents, had argued that the proposed tariff increases were simply unacceptable," Mashaba said in a statement on Thursday. Nersa announced earlier that South Africans would have to cough up 9.41% more for electricity. It also approved increases of 8.1% for 2020/2021 and 5.22% for 2021/2022. Eskom had applied for hikes of 17.1% for 2019, 15.4% for 2020 and 17.5% for 2021.
Industry had argued strongly for the regulator to reject Eskom's application for a 17.1% rise. According to the Minerals Council SA, if Eskom succeeded 40% of mining, refining and smelting companies would be lost; annual gold mining output would fall from 132-tonnes to 20-tonnes; and 150,000 direct jobs could be ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.