‘We’re not coping’ — Daily Maverick readers buckle under strain of sky-high electricity costs

South Africans are enduring sky-high electricity costs. (Image: Arek Socha, Pixabay)

While the national focus may be on Eskom’s request for a 40% tariff increase in 2025, costs in the current year are already stressing South Africans to a point where they cannot cope. Here is what Daily Maverick readers told us:

1. ‘Surely this is no way to live’

“Every two days we have to buy electricity, and everyone at home is out working for 8-10 hours a day. Every time we use disposable income, it’s between food, electricity, and petrol/transport. Surely this is no way to live.”

Resident from Johannesburg.

2. ‘As pensioners, how are we supposed to survive?’

“I’m a pensioner living in a retirement village. I have paid R950 this month for electricity. My only source of income is the SASSA grant. How are we supposed to survive?”

Resident from Pretoria.

3. ‘Prices have doubled, I am not coping’

“I am not coping. Grocery prices have about doubled, and so has electricity. It’s all too much. I am a pensioner. Eskom puts the burden on us for its mismanagement and corruption.”

Pensioner from Cape Town.



Protestors during the DA National Day Of Action Against Electricity Extortion on 18 September 2024 in Cape Town. (Photo: Misha Jordaan / Gallo Images)

4. ‘We have to choose between electricity and food’

“We have to choose between electricity and food now. As a result, food quality has gone down drastically.”

Resident from Polokwane.

5. ‘Buying electricity is out of the question’

“In Oudtshoorn, we can barely buy food. We used to receive 70 free basic units (of electricity), but it has dropped to 50. We need R1,000 just for electricity, but our old age pension is just over R2,000. Buying electricity for R1,000 is out of the question.”

Resident from Oudtshoorn.

6. ‘Spending double on electricity’

“I’m spending more than double on electricity — about 3K per month for four people in a three-bedroom home. We use gas stoves and a fireplace, but nothing seems to reduce the electricity bill.”

Resident from Cape Flats, Cape Town. DM

The answers from readers were summarised using ChatGPT, edited by the team and checked against the originals to ensure veracity.