COJ wants to increase electricity surcharge to R270 a month
This is despite suggestions from the political administration that the initial additional charge of R200 would be reviewed and even scrapped.
A prepaid electricity meter and an electricity mains unit. Picture: @CityofCT/X
JOHANNESBURG - The City of Johannesburg wants to increase the controversial prepaid electricity surcharge from R200 to R270 a month.
This is despite suggestions from the political administration that the initial additional charge would be reviewed and even scrapped.
The surcharge was introduced in July 2024, resulting in widespread outcry over the escalating cost of electricity.
The City of Johannesburg has published its draft budget for the 2025 / 2026 financial year.
Under the tariff section, the city is proposing that the service charge for prepaid electricity remains unchanged at R70 while the network capacity charge increases from R130 to R200.
When the surcharge was introduced in 2024, Joburg City Power told Eyewitness News that prepaid electricity customers were not being charged in line with the cost of supply.
The budget notes that despite the electricity surcharge, prepaid customers are still heavily subsidised by other categories of customers, like post-paid.
It said tariffs to prepaid customers must be substantially increased over the next three to five years to reach parity between the cost of supply and sale of electricity.