From the editor’s desk: No hope for a bright future
Eskom is exploiting South Africans and our hands are tied.
We are accustomed to no service, whether it be municipal, Eskom, fibre or any other service that we pay for.
The processes are practically non-existent, and following WhatsApp prompts to report municipal faults proved to be harder than it looks. We have also became so used to load-shedding, that we organise our lives around the inconvenience. Simple tasks such as cooking makes you feel like a contestant on MasterChef, you only have 35 minutes left….
I don’t think Eskom can be revived. The amount of blatant fraud and corruption at all levels will force ratepayers to find different ways to have electricity in their homes, such as installing solar panels to go off the grid. However, Eskom will not let you go, you will forever remain in its grip.
ALSO READ: Organisation brings light into lives of recovering addicts
I read an article that Eskom wants to charge an additional amount should you wish to go off the grid. In an online article on mybroadband.co.za that was published in November 2022, it stated that Eskom released a new plan.
“They want to add generation capacity charge and increase the network capacity of connections, irrespective of how often that connection is used. While this will have a minimal impact on average electricity users, smaller households with lower monthly consumption and those who self-generate with solar will pay more,” the article read.
“Regarding Eskom’s direct customers, Homepower users, who use 0kWh will be paying between 269% and 330% more, simply for having a grid connection. For example, a Homepower 1 (25 NMD) customer who previously paid between R208 and R222 for their connection will now be paying between R895 and R956 per month. The revised annual amount is around R11 291 compared to the current annual amount of R2 624.”
These figures are just the beginning of the revised plan. Which is a scary thought, keeping in mind that consumers are already struggling to make ends meet. And for some reason, Eskom wants to charge consumers for using the sun, as it seems they claimed the sole right to its energy power.
They cannot deliver on the current electricity demand and I suppose charging for sun power will ensure the top brass can keep on lining their pockets. Until next week, take care of one another.
DID YOU KNOW?
Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics. To receive news via our Telegram group, send a WhatsApp message to 084 418 2286.
For more Southlands Sun news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
