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

Readers, we asked you about the impact of 2024 tariffs that increased at double the inflation rate, and the outcome is shocking. Those who can, are installing solar. But many, including pensioners, are choosing between food or electricity, and reverting to older means of heating.
‘We’re not coping’  — Daily Maverick readers buckle under strain of sky-high electricity costs Illustrative image: Load shedding is back again after Eskom lost 2,700MW from the grid over 14 hours. (Image: Arek Socha / Pixabay)

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.

  1. ‘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.

  1. ‘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.

electrity tariff hikes

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.   

Comments (7)

Richard Blake Sep 28, 2024, 02:34 PM

I went off grid three years ago. Apart from having to charge my batteries for a number of collective days of three weeks during the worst days of winter I have no electricity bill. My loan repayments at a fixed rate on my green loan as less than what I would be paying Eskom every month.

alexgordon1978 Sep 27, 2024, 07:51 AM

Nevermind the electricity i swear the price of Grandpas has almost doubled since 2020 and what the price of coffee just keeps on climbing :D

Kevin Venter Sep 27, 2024, 05:17 AM

Proudly brought to you by the ANC. They are clearly incapable, or just don’t care that citizens have to choose between Electricity and Food. The only way out of this misery is for the voters to wake up and the last election result indicates that the voters are still in a very deep sleep.

M D Fraser Sep 26, 2024, 12:25 PM

All ESKOM has to do is drive around in the daytime and see how many houses have their lights burning all day long. Each one should be a beacon calling out "Come end check this out, you can be sure we're not paying for electricity". Collect from the multitudes of non-payers !

GARYL04 Sep 26, 2024, 08:32 AM

With MEDIAN salaries, South African households spend about 10.7% of their income on electricity, compared to just 3.7% in Australia. This shows that the burden is even more severe for the median South African worker i.e. 50% of workers, highlighting the urgent need for interventions like subsidies.

GARYL04 Sep 26, 2024, 08:27 AM

In South Africa, electricity consumes 5.8% of the AVERAGE SALARY compared to 3.1% in Australia. Despite lower kWh prices, the burden on South Africans is nearly double. Australians earn 4 times more, making electricity far less affordable in South Africa, highlighting its disproportionate cos

GARYL04 Sep 26, 2024, 08:05 AM

Massive government subsidies on electricity in South Africa are essential, as only 5-10% can afford current prices. Subsidies would prevent energy poverty, enabling access to a basic need, fostering economic growth, and addressing inequality. Affordable power ensures social and economic development.