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Activists reject Nersa's decision on Eskom's proposed tariff hikes
Environmental activist organisations have expressed their rejection of additional Eskom electricity tariff increases under the Sixth Multi-Year Price Determination (MYPD6). Earthlife Africa Johannesburg and the Women in Energy and Climate Change Forum (WECCF) gathered outside Nersa’s (National Energy Regulator of South Africa) offices in Pretoria, and the Green Connection submitted its stance on further Eskom electricity tariff increases and rising power prices.
Image supplied.
Activists warn that the proposed tariff hikes threaten to deepen energy poverty and entrench inequality, intensifying the daily struggles of South African households facing already unaffordable electricity costs.
Public comments closed on January 21, 2026.
More economic strain
“(The) majority of South Africans are already buckling under the pressures of the high cost of living.
“Another electricity price increase — which is a consequence of Eskom’s failures — will worsen inequality and energy poverty,” said Thabo Sibeko, senior programme officer at Earthlife Africa.
“It is high time that Eskom and Nersa act in the public interest by prioritising affordable, socially just energy solutions.”
Earthlife Africa argues that Nersa’s decision puts Eskom’s financial interests before the energy needs of ordinary South Africans.
It claims energy poverty remains widespread, with around 43% of households unable to meet basic electricity needs.
“You cannot claim to balance affordability with sustainability when nearly half the country cannot afford adequate electricity, and tariff increases continue to punish those already carrying the heaviest burden,” said Sibeko.
“Nersa speaks about cutting costs on paper.
“But communities see no improvement in infrastructure, no reliable supply, and no relief in their monthly bills.”
Call for improvements
Earthlife Africa is also challenging Nersa’s claim that Eskom’s performance and public concerns were adequately addressed.
It adds that many townships and rural areas continue to experience prolonged outages, broken transformers, and delayed repairs.
“If Nersa is serious about oversight, then approval of higher revenues should be tied to visible improvements in service, transparency, and accountability.
“That is not, however, what communities are experiencing,” Sibeko adds.
Fails to reflect reality
The WECCF says Nersa’s decision fails to reflect the realities of the majority of households, where women often manage scarce resources.
It says rising electricity prices are directly linked to hunger, stress, household instability, and economic vulnerability.
“We are the ones who must choose between buying food and buying electricity.
“Small businesses run by women collapse because they cannot afford power.
“Conflicts in households rise, and even lives are at risk when people dependent on oxygen or refrigerated medication cannot keep the power on,” says WECCF’s Ntombizodwa Rannyadi.
“These are not abstract impacts. They are the daily experiences of many South Africans.”
The WECCF also disputes claims that public participation was meaningful.
It states WECCF members only learned of the MYPD6 process through the forum, noting little to no outreach via local radio, community platforms, or public education.
“You cannot say the public has been heard when the majority of poor communities never even knew this process was happening,” says Rannyadi.
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Fossil fuels
Sibeko says that Nersa’s decision supports large-scale, centralised electricity generation that depends on fossil fuels.
Despite South Africa’s Just Transition Framework calling for a shift to cleaner, competitive technologies and socially just outcomes.
Earthlife Africa and the various forums it facilitates are now calling for public investment to support community-based renewable energy, including socially-owned and household-level solar projects.
They claim clean energy solutions would reduce pressure on the grid, lower pollution, and create tangible economic benefits.
“A genuine balance would mean investing in people’s power — not forcing them to pay more for a system that continues to fail them.
“The MYPD6 has been widely critiqued.
“The reliance on coal and expensive diesel-powered generation keeps tariffs structurally high, while delays in scaling up renewable energy and decentralised generation limit opportunities for cheaper electricity,” says Sibeko.
Rannyadi adds: “Until women in informal settlements, township entrepreneurs, children trying to study, and elders dependent on medical equipment can afford and rely on electricity, no price increase can be justified, and no process can be called fair.”
