“R100 Buys Very Few Units”: NERSA Urged To Reject Eskom’s Electricity Tariff Increase As Costs Bite

• The Green Connection called on NERSA to reject Eskom's proposed 8.83% electricity tariff increase for the 2027/28 financial year
• The eco-justice organisation warned that another hike will push households already battling rising costs even further into poverty
• Coastal fishers and Free State community members shared how unaffordable electricity has already upended their livelihoods

An eco-justice organisation has gone head-to-head with energy regulators over plans to raise electricity tariffs again. On 15 October, The Green Connection formally called on the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) to reject Eskom's proposed 8.83% tariff increase for the 2027/28 financial year, arguing that South Africans simply cannot absorb another hike.

The proposed increase follows an 8.76% rise already approved for 2026/27, itself the result of a redetermination of Eskom's revenue after regulatory errors and a court process. The Green Connection says the compounding effect of consecutive increases is devastating for ordinary households.

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The organisation's Advocacy Lead, Lisa Makaula, said:

"Families are having to choose between electricity and meeting other basic needs, while unemployment and economic pressures continue to undermine household security."

She pointed to Statistics South Africa data showing youth unemployment reached 47.4% in the second quarter of 2026, a 1.5 percentage-point rise, as evidence that NERSA must place affordability at the centre of its decision-making.

The human cost of rising tariffs is perhaps most visible along South Africa's coastline. Ernest Titus, a small-scale fisher from Lamberts Bay, described a situation where electricity, food and school costs compete for the same shrinking income. Chanel Jaar, a young activist from Port Nolloth, put it plainly:

"R100 buys very few units, making it difficult for pensioners dependent on SASSA grants to keep their lights on."

Ntsindiso Nongcavu, Acting Chairperson of the Cacavu Fishing Cooperative in Port St Johns, echoed those concerns, noting that steep fuel and electricity prices squeeze small-scale fishers from both ends.

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Green Connection calls for transparency

Beyond the immediate tariff question, the Green Connection is pushing for bigger changes to how electricity pricing decisions are made. The organisation's Outreach Ambassador, Neville van Rooy, called for greater transparency around the costs used to justify increases, arguing that consumers should be able to understand what they are paying for before bearing the financial consequences.

The organisation also wants South Africa's Electricity Pricing Policy updated annually and aligned with a regularly reviewed Integrated Energy Plan. It cited figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency showing that 62% of renewable capacity added globally in 2020 already costs less than the cheapest new fossil-fuel alternative, arguing this makes a faster shift to solar and wind not just environmentally sound but economically necessary.

The Green Connection's position is clear: no further tariff increases should be imposed until the implications of electricity market reforms, including Eskom's unbundling and the development of a wholesale electricity market, have been properly explained to and debated by the public.

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Other Briefly News stories about Eskom tariffs

• Speaking to supporters at an EFF campaign rally in Heilbron, Free State, party leader Julius Malema argued that Eskom should operate on a non-profit basis to significantly lower electricity costs for citizens.
• Eskom announced an 8.76% tariff increase for direct customers and a 9.01% average hike for municipal customers, approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) for the 2026/2027 financial year.
• Reports detailing that Eskom's average employee compensation package sits around R1 million per year triggered severe public backlash amidst ongoing load shedding and frequent electricity price increases.

Source: Briefly News