South Africa: Electricity Rise ‘Likely to Hurt the Poor’

There is uncertainty about whether poor households would be sufficiently shielded from an increased electricity tariff, says the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC).

The research body welcomed the recent price determination by the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa), but Miriam Altman, the HSRC’s executive director, said she was concerned about the potential impact on poor households.
“You do not want to encourage people to use alternative fuels like paraffin. We have to enable the use of electricity from the grid. More should be done to cushion the poor against rising electricity costs. This is a price that you can control, unlike food and fuel. “

AllAfrica