Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has described the high costs and tariffs for electricity as making it “exceptionally difficult” for ordinary South Africans to manage their electricity bills.
Highlighting the financial burden, Ramokgopa referenced the R200 monthly surcharge by Joburg City Power as indicative of the steep expenses associated with electricity.
During discussions at the cabinet lekgotla in Pretoria on Saturday, Ramokgopa emphasized the need for affordable and sustainable electricity access.
“We know that over a period of time, municipalities have under-invested in maintenance, replenishment and protection of the distribution grid and of course, we are paying the price now, including the areas that are serviced by Eskom. We made the point that the debt levels of municipalities to Eskom sit at about R78 billion, it’s an unsustainable situation so we need to resolve that crisis,” Ramokgopa explained.
He also mentioned that the government plans to incorporate new energy sources, such as nuclear power, to enhance electricity supply.
“We made the point that in the long term that we need to anchor the base load and nuclear is an important part of that intervention. As I said we are working on a framework for a procurement – because we don’t want to discredit the process through a procurement process that is not transparent. Of course, we will do it at a scale and speed we can afford as a country,” said Ramokgopa.
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