ANC KZN Supports Ramaphosa’s Call for Eskom Not to Implement Tariff Hike, Threatening to Take Utility to Court

• The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has backed President Cyril Ramaphosa in his bid to have the electricity price hike halted
• The KZN structure of the ANC vowed to take Eskom to court if the power utility went forward with the increase
• The provincial executive committee also rejected the 12.74% increase for the 2024/2025 financial year

DURBAN - The African National Congress (ANC) in KwaZulu-Natal is throwing its weight behind President Cyril Ramaphosa by threatening to take Eskom to court if it implements the 18.65% traffic hike.

This comes after the president asked the barely functional power utility not to implement the tariff approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa).

According to News24, Ramaphosa said that he told Eskom to consider halting the implementation, especially since South Africans are struggling with loadshedding.

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The ANC Provincial Secretary Bheki Mtolo praised President Ramaphosa for intervening and promised his structure's support. Mtolo called on all ANC-led municipalities and citizens to take legal action against the power utility if it goes through with the price hike.

The provincial secretary said the provincial executive committee (PEC) also opposed the 12.74% increase for the 2024/2025 financial year, TimesLIVE reported.

PEC rejected the second increase on the following grounds:

• The negative economic impact will make the lives of millions of KZN residents harder
• The price hike has intensified the fears and anxieties of the public
• Eskom's actions have undermined confidence in the ANC-government
• Forecasts reveal rising food prices
• The salaries of citizens have not increased

South Africans react to ANC KZN's threats to sue Eskom

South Africans find it ironic that the ANC in KZN plays to sue Eskom for increasing the price of electricity.

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@cloetela5 commented:

"Bliksem. The pot calling the kettle black."

@SidneyCarton106 claimed:

"Not sure why they're so upset. They either steal the electricity or don't pay the bill anyway."

@fatcat6746 added:

"What an ironic situation."

@MarseillesBaby asked:

"ANC taking ANC government to court?"

President Ramaphosa wants to appoint budget director to monitor unused funds allocated to provinces

In related news, Briefly News reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa is concerned that some funds in the provincial budget allocated by Treasury have gone unused. Ramaphosa is mulling over the idea of hiring a budget director to keep an eye on the situation.

Ramaphosa made his intentions about appointing a budget director known while speaking at an African National Congress (ANC) provincial executive meeting in Pietermaritzburg on Monday, January 23.

The president said that it was not okay that money allocated for services went unused while service delivery could be improved, EWN reported.

Source: Briefly News