South Africans are capable of coping with planned load shedding, but they will not be able to afford higher electricity tariffs, a business owner said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
“Eskom has made its bed and must lie in it. We can’t just bail Eskom out all the time,” Angus Macmillan, who runs corporate communication company Macmillan Communications told a National Energy Regulator of SA public hearing in Johannesburg on Eskom’s application for a further hike in tariff prices.<\/p>\n
“Imposed planned load shedding? Sure, we can handle that. But don’t hike tariffs beyond affordability. It will do more harm than good to South Africa and its citizens.”<\/p>\n
He said Eskom’s request for a 25.3% tariff increase should not be granted.<\/p>\n
“Its request for this massive increase amounts to extortion from a monopolistic organisation which is trying to make its customers pay for its and its solitary shareholder’s lack of planning, foresight and power station maintenance,” he said.<\/p>\n
“The 12.6% it has already received for 2015\/16 is twice the rate of inflation and is already much higher than the 8% that was originally granted for the 2015\/16 year.<\/p>\n
“Just because Eskom is struggling to fund its new power stations and to keep its old ones going doesn’t mean it can ask for and receive double digit tariff increases.”<\/p>\n
He said Eskom and its shareholder had to take responsibility for their actions or “lack of action over the past 10 to 20 years”.<\/p>\n
“Eskom, the government and the economy have to make sacrifices as a result of the power supply crunch. It cannot simply be solved by cranking up tariffs,” Macmillan argued.<\/p>\n
“Planned power outages, if they are well communicated, should be continued until Eskom has fully commissioned Medupi and Kusile and more renewable energy projects come on stream.”<\/p>\n
He said he, as a small business owner, asked for and received a 6% increase for his services from his clients for this year.<\/p>\n
“Could I ask for and expect to receive 12.6% increase? You have got to be kidding,” Macmillan said.<\/p>\n
“Could I plead all sorts of reasons why I need a 25.3% increase? I would lose all of my clients and I would have to close my business.”<\/p>\n
Source: News24Wire<\/a><\/p>\n Eskom asks for reduced tariff increase<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Eskom\u2019s shocking annual price hike since 2007<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Eskom\u2019s sums don\u2019t add up: energy expert<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nMore on Eskom<\/h3>\n