PIETERMARITZBURG, KWAZULU-NATAL — The proposed Eskom tariff increase is pushing South African households deeper into a severe electricity affordability crisis, according to economic justice advocates warning of the unsustainable financial burden on low-income earners.
Mervyn Abrahams, a spokesperson for the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group (PMBEJD), highlighted the compounding financial pressures facing citizens. He noted that the country is grappling with a major affordability crisis, a situation exacerbated by a recent interest rate hike and persistently low wages across the sector.
To illustrate the stark reality of the proposed Eskom tariff increase, Abrahams pointed to local data tracking the cost of 350 kilowatts of prepaid electricity in Pietermaritzburg. Currently, this baseline consumption basket accounts for approximately 25% of the national minimum wage.
However, the projected 8.8% tariff hike would add an additional R112 to that monthly electricity bill. According to the group’s calculations, this increase would drive the cost of the 350-kilowatt basket up to roughly 27% of the national minimum wage.
By analyzing the mathematical impact of these utility costs against stagnant incomes, the group demonstrates how the tariff hike leaves vulnerable consumers with virtually no financial breathing room.
“We have come to the stage where South African households can no longer afford” the compounding costs of basic utilities alongside other rising living expenses, Abrahams concluded, emphasizing that the current trajectory is economically unviable for the working class.
