Statement by Stellenbosch Executive Mayor Gesie van Deventer
13 January 2023
On behalf of the residents of Stellenbosch Municipality, I reject in the strongest possible terms Eskom’s NERSA-approved electricity price hike of 18.6%. This enormous price increase is unaffordable and unfair. We reject this increase outright.
Our residents, and in particular our small and medium businesses, simply cannot afford these continuous price increases. Like the majority of South Africans, many residents and businesses are already struggling to make ends meet.
Our communities are also struggling to keep businesses open with stage 6 blackouts being implemented by Eskom. On most days, communities are left without electricity for 8 – 12 hours per day and the situation is not expected to improve in the short term. South Africans are constantly being expected to pay more for electricity while receiving less and less of it. Our residents will now be expected to pay even more exorbitant prices for electricity they simply do not get. South Africans are rightfully tired of having to foot the bill for years of corruption and mismanagement at Eskom.
Any increase should be in line with the consumer price index (CPI). A 18.6% increase is outrageous and unjust, especially given the fact that we are in the midst of the worst load shedding on record.
As a Municipality, we are well on track in terms of our timelines to co-generate electricity to protect our communities from Eskom’s load shedding. This includes the installation of solar panels on municipal properties, the acquisition of more generators, the installation of UPS-batteries at all municipal traffic lights and the fast-tracking of private solar panel applications, among others. The municipality will be releasing more detailed timelines and information on our progress in the coming weeks.
