Political parties agree electricity tariff increases too high, want Eskom to reconsider proposed 36% hike

JOHANNESBURG - Political parties are in agreement that electricity tariff increases are too high and have called for Eskom to reconsider its proposed 36% hike.

Parties were taking part in a debate of national importance sponsored by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the National Assembly.

They were debating the recent decision by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) to grant Eskom’s application to retrospectively recover R8 billion for the 2022 financial year.

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DA energy spokesperson, Kevin Mileham, who sponsored Thursday’s debate, said the country’s electricity pricing policy was decades out of date and NERSA's methodologies were inadequate.

He said that the tariff increases had reached unaffordable levels.

"As Parliament, and as government, we need to be doing everything we can to make electricity more affordable. The Democratic Alliance will not allow these tariff increases to stand unchallenged."

But MK Party MP and former Eskom CEO, Brian Molefe, said that coal was at the centre of high electricity prices and should also be regulated.

"This means that the price in which Eskom purchases the coal has a direct bearing on Eskom’s costs and therefore the price of electricity the consumer pays."

But the African National Congress (ANC)'s Nonkosi Mvana said that parties should not try to influence NERSA.

"Parties in Parliament like the DA may refrain from indirectly lobbying NERSA as this may be particularly risky."