Cape Town – Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis have strongly opposed Eskom’s proposed electricity tariff hikes of 44% for municipalities and 36% for direct customers, calling them unaffordable and harmful to South Africans.
Speaking at a public hearing held by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), Winde warned that the increases would “take food off our tables” and worsen poverty, citing already high living costs and inflation.
🚨 South Africans cannot afford Eskom’s 40% electricity price hike proposal! Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and the DA are protesting outside the NERSA public hearings.
Make your voice heard too and reject this at https://t.co/L4urNZIv5g#StopElectricityHikes #StopPowerGrab pic.twitter.com/88EJ7LLimV
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) November 18, 2024
Both leaders emphasised the need to reduce reliance on Eskom through independent power sources. Hill-Lewis accused Eskom and Nersa of “bleeding the country dry,” while Winde criticised the utility’s management and linked its failures to job losses caused by load-shedding.
Community members echoed these concerns, sharing personal struggles with rising electricity costs.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
