IN written objections to Nersa (the National Energy Regulator of South Africa) with regards to Eskom’s proposed electricity tariffs, the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber has appealed to Nersa to play its crucial role and discharge its statutory duty by ensuring that Eskom gets back on track to achieve its core objective, which is to provide electricity at affordable levels to all South Africans.
According to the Business Chamber, Eskom is being plagued by mismanagement and alleged corruption leading to failures to get its operational costs and project management under control.
In a media statement, the Business Chamber said that Eskom’s prices have spiralled out of control since 2008, and since then have outstripped CPI by a staggering 250%.
A reduction in off take from its customers is the inevitable result. Eskom industrial users reduced their off take by 20% since 2011, the mines by 6%, and municipal off take has shrunk by about 3%. Continued on page 2