Image Source: Power Optimal
South Africa – Opposition parties, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the Democratic Alliance (DA), and ActionSA, have strongly condemned the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (NERSA) decision to approve Eskom’s multi-year electricity tariff increases.
These hikes they argue, set at 12.7% for 2025/26, 5.36% for 2026/27, and 6.19% for 2027/28, will significantly burden South African households and businesses already struggling economically.
EFF: ‘NERSA Enabling Eskom’s Exploitation of the Poor’
The EFF criticised the increases as “yet another assault on the working class and the poor,” highlighting that they come amid rising food and fuel prices. The party warned Eskom’s persistent tariff hikes would deepen inequality and economic exclusion.
“At a time when food prices, fuel costs, and other essential goods are skyrocketing, imposing yet another electricity price hike is a direct attack on the livelihoods of ordinary people.”
The EFF also accused NERSA of enabling Eskom’s mismanagement, noting that previous approvals, such as the 33.77% increase between 2023 and 2024, had already placed immense strain on consumers.
“This persistent escalation is proof that the ruling elite has abandoned its duty to ensure electricity remains an affordable public good that fuels economic growth and human development. Eskom was built with public funds, and its energy should not be commodified for profit while the masses are left in the dark,” the party stated.
The EFF went further, accusing the government of deliberately allowing Eskom to fail as part of a broader agenda to privatise South Africa’s energy sector, benefiting “capitalist vultures” while leaving ordinary citizens to suffer.
“The crisis at Eskom is not an accident. It is the product of deliberate mismanagement, looting, and a calculated agenda to privatise South Africa’s energy sector.”
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DA: ‘NERSA Passing Eskom’s Failures onto Consumers’
The DA rejected the hikes, labelling them as “three times the national inflation rate” and a direct threat to economic stability. The party noted that while Eskom initially sought a nearly 40% increase, the approved hikes still undermine progress in stabilising the economy.
“Despite our best efforts to present a compelling case against these increases, NERSA has chosen to pass on Eskom’s failure to manage its finances and operations to consumers.”
“South Africans should not be forced to pay for Eskom’s years of financial mismanagement, operational failures, and wasteful expenditure,” the DA said.
The party has actively campaigned against tariff increases, gathering over 130,000 petition signatures and participating in public hearings nationwide.
It called for Eskom to be held accountable for “corruption, wasteful spending, and operational inefficiencies” rather than burdening consumers with higher prices.
“Eskom must stop the wasteful spending, address its failure to collect billions in unpaid municipal debts, and ensure that its operations are run efficiently and transparently. Only when these reforms are made can we even begin to consider any future price increases.”
ActionSA: ‘Tariff Hikes Will Stifle Economic Growth’
ActionSA echoed these concerns, pointing out that Eskom’s financial crisis resulted from “entrenched corruption and incompetence dating back to the State Capture era.”
The party warned that tariff increases would stifle economic growth, raise production costs, reduce consumer spending, and threaten jobs.
“The impact will be felt across all sectors, including major companies like ArcelorMittal, which recently announced the closure of its Long Steel Business, partly due to electricity costs—putting up to 100,000 jobs at risk,” ActionSA said.
The party also criticised the timing of the increases, highlighting that on the same day that the Monetary Policy Committee announced a 25 basis-point interest rate cut, consumers were hit with yet another financial blow.
“On the same day that indebted households saw some relief with a 25 basis-point interest rate cut by the Monetary Policy Committee, they are now confronted with yet another financial blow.”
Beyond opposing the tariff hikes, ActionSA called for criminal accountability, stating that corruption and mismanagement at Eskom should not go unpunished.
“It is time for accountability—those responsible must be jailed, and the incompetent must be removed.”
All three parties called for urgent reforms, the EFF demanded an “immediate review of NERSA’s tariff approval process,” and the DA vowed to continue legal and political action to oppose the hike. ActionsaA insisted on “a competitive and decentralised energy market” to ensure affordability and reliability.
