Johnathan Paoli
Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has said there is a crisis of poor and marginalised people who cannot afford electricity in South Africa.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Government of National Unity (GNU)’s Cabinet Lekgotla on Sunday, Minister Ramokgopa said that while the government’s focus should be on providing sustainable access to electricity, it should remain cognisant of the affordability for all South Africans.
Ramokgopa commented on the recent 12.7% tariff hike and City Power’s decision to institute a R200 monthly surcharge on prepaid customers and said in light of the municipalities adding the surcharge, there was an urgent need to address the root causes.
“People are going to find it difficult to afford food, as they do now. Many are having a similar problem, and that problem is likely to become more acute over a period of time,” he said
Reaffirming his earlier position last week, the minister said there was a serious case of municipalities under-investing in maintenance, replenishment and protection of the distribution grid.
Ramokgopa said the country was paying the price for debt levels of municipalities to power utility Eskom, which currently stands at approximately R78 billion.
He said poorer communities are unable to keep up with increasing costs.
“The poor and those that are located in the townships are finding it exceptionally difficult to afford the increases in electricity. The pricing and the tariff is prohibitive and a lot of our people across the length and breadth of the country are not in a position to afford electricity,” the minister said.
Ramokgopa said investing in alternative forms of energy, such as nuclear, could assist the government in improving electricity provision.
“In the long term, we need to ensure that we anchor the baseload and nuclear power is an important part of that intervention,” he said.
The minister said his department is currently working on the framework for procurement and would ensure that it is transparent, in order not to discredit the process.
INSIDE POLITICS