DA National Day of Action over proposed electricity tariff increase

The Democratic Alliance (DA) says plans are in place for its National Day of Action which will be held across all nine provinces today.

The protest is against Eskom’s proposed 36% electricity tariff increase.

The increase, which the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) is yet to approve, will take effect on April 1, 2025.

💡DA activists in Saldanha Bay and Paarl participating in the National Day of Action to protest against Eskom’s unreasonable 40% tariff increase.
✍️Add your name and reject the hike!

Sign here: https://t.co/9SkiAsDfPy. #StopElectricityHikes pic.twitter.com/gTcbQ2Dz2S

— DA Western Cape (@WesternCapeDA) September 18, 2024

Civil rights organisations are opposed to the increase saying it will add to the financial burden that South Africans are already suffering.

The DA’s spokesperson on Electricity and Energy, Kevin Mileham says there is no justification for the tariff increase.

“We want South Africans to make their voices heard, we want NERSA to hear the impact that it’s having on South Africans, we want them to see that this is unaffordable and we cannot continue this way. Tomorrow, we have a parliamentary debate, we’ve got a massive petition that is online, [and it] has already received some 89 000 signatures and thousands and thousands more on hard copy versions across South Africa. That’s all going to NERSA. And then NERSA has a public participation process and we want to urge every single South African to participate,” says Mileham.

Below is the full interview with Kevin Mileham: