There was a large public outcry against the revaluation of properties for the purposes of calculating rates. Not only have those payments increased over the years, but now the base amount has as well, with increases far above the inflation rate. On City of Johannesburg accounts there have been several above-inflation increases since June. Electricity is up 7.17%, water is up 15.96%, service and network charges are up 7.37%, sewer monthly charges are up 13.2% and the refuse charge has increased 9.73%. A new "network surcharge" increase arrived in August and there was a VAT increase (in April). It is hard to understand the City of Joburg’s charging model for electricity. The more you use, the more expensive the product becomes. The effect of this is to drive down demand. A further effect is that it encourages people to source alternative power supplies, such as solar. In a world where green energy is becoming cheaper and Eskom infinitely more expensive, there can be only one outcome. ...
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