And for a change, Cosatu and I are in agreement…
The Congress of South African Trade Unions says it is "totally opposed" to power utility Eskom’s proposed 34% electricity tariff increase - and urges National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to reject it.
"Such a massive increase would inflict misery on thousands of poor households, especially as there is not yet a tariff policy that protects poor consumers, many of whom would have to give up using electricity at all, faced with such a rise in their cost of living," says Cosatu.
It adds that a 34% increase would also hit hundreds of small and medium businesses who are already struggling with the effects of the global financial crisis.
We are already paying through our arses for basic services that are not reliable. We are paying a penalty if we use more than an ‘appropriate’ amount of electricity – which, I can tell you, is not as much as a normal household would need running the bare minimum of appliances. To add 35% to that will kill both low-income families and small businesses. Not only will it directly impact on how much it costs to run a household, but it will also increase the cost of food and everything else. I am sorry, Eskom, but maybe you need to relook at your finances and how much you pay your fatcats before you try and milk this country for another cent.
We, the public, have until 2 June 2009 to comment, in writing, this requested increase. Please, use your voice. Visit NERSA for more info.
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