Ratepayers and residents march against tariff hikes in eThekwini
The members of the associations said the proposed tariff hikes will have a negative impact on the economy and residents from previously disadvantaged communities.
IN a unified stand against proposed tariff hikes, ratepayers’ associations in collaboration with the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) took to the streets to voice their opposition. With a clear message urging Eskom to reconsider the proposed 14% increase for water, 14% for electricity, 12.9% for sanitation and 8% for refuse for the 2024/25 financial year, the community demonstrated its unwavering commitment to fair and sustainable energy pricing.
The residents marched to the City Hall in Durban on April 19 to hand over a memorandum to the officials.
The protestors, led by SDCEA’s Desmond D’sa, demanded that Eskom review its recent decision on the increase of tariff hikes.
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The group also demanded that eThekwini Municipality accelerate the service delivery to communities. Armed with placards with messages of dissatisfaction, marchers said the recent tariff adjustment will have dire consequences for previously disadvantaged communities.
D’sa said, “It is the duty of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance to advocate for a sustainable future, and in doing so, the voices of people need to be heard. People experienced load-shedding daily for the last few years as a result of Eskom’s incapability to keep the power stations operational. eThekwini Municipality has not maintained power substations nor provided infrastructure to poor households for access to energy and water.”
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He said the negative impact of load-shedding affects the most vulnerable, including schoolchildren, those working in the agriculture and tourism industries, public hospitals, small businesses and other essential sectors.
“South Africans will likely have to put up with stages two and three load-shedding for the next two years to allow Eskom to perform maintenance on its entire industry.
“In spite of the suffering, both Eskom and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa have collectively made it challenging to pay for the tariff increases. These challenges further impact the livelihoods of people, ensuring poverty. People are forced to look at alternatives for a clean and healthy life.
“The tariff hike left an extremely negative impact on many people in South Africa and poses a challenge for communities as many people are facing financial troubles, especially with interest rates having soared nearly 15% since late 2021, and they cannot afford these price hikes at a time when the economy is growing at a rate lower than one percent annually.”
In a memorandum, the marchers also demanded that Eskom commit itself to a new, sustainable energy system to replace the current system.
“We do not only demand this of the Eskom leadership but also the government who are responsible for Eskom,” D’sa added.
The memorandum was handed over to Mlungisi Ntombela from the eThekwini mayor’s office.
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