Nelspruit Post looked into the matter, spoke to some concerned locals and worked through some of the numbers.
According to the block-tariff structure for the City of Mbombela Local Municipality (CMLM), domestic prepaid electricity is split into four blocks which work on a sliding scale. In simple terms, the more you use, the more you pay.
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Denise Schutte said on social media site, Nelspruiters, that she thinks everyone using prepaid meters has been affected by the July tariff increase.
“We’ve seen a decrease in units. For example, on June 2, R400 equated to 322,6 units, and on the same day in September, R400 got us 292,4 units. Every subsequent voucher bought equates to a lot less units for our rands,” she said.
Claire Carruthers also said she had noticed she was getting less power for her bucks.
“When I queried it, I was told there is a problem with the system but it’s been going on for ages. Then, I was told I must purchase once a month which I have been doing, but it changes from one month to the next,” Carruthers added.
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Sindisiwe Gwebu said things are getting tougher by the day.
“It is ridiculous indeed, but your first monthly purchase always has more units. I would advise that you buy big with your first monthly purchase to get more. Things are getting tougher by the day,” she said.
According to Eskom’s prepayment website, “The first block of electricity is at the lowest price. As the customer purchases more electricity during the month, the electricity bought will eventually fall in block two which is a bit more expensive.”
“This process repeats automatically as the customer purchases further electricity to move into block two. At the end of the month, the history is reset and the customer will again start the next month from block one.”
It adds that, “the movement to the next block is not at all affected by whether the purchases are spread over many transactions or if all the electricity is part of one transaction”.
This may be why many members of the public say it is cheaper to buy on the first day of the month. It is better, therefore, for customers to buy only the electricity they think they will use in the month. In doing so, they can save money and start to buy again at a lower price at the start of the next month.
Unfortunately, electricity is still incredibly expensive, and with ever-increasing living costs, a large part of the community is affected.
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“My heart goes out to the aged and poor, struggling families. These persons cannot afford alternative solar (power) and generators to get off of the grid. Higher water tariffs, electricity, bus and taxi fares, TV and sewerage fees are diminishing the little pleasures in honest people’s lives,” Rowan Torr commented on Nelspruiters.
For comprehensive information about how prepaid electricity works, and inclining block tariffs, visit the dedicated site on prepayment electricity at www.eskom.co.za.
There are options to buy prepaid electricity on the Internet, via your telephone, at supermarkets and at some ATMs.
