South Africans using prepaid electricity should expect a significant increase in their monthly bill from April this year. Last year, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) approved Eskom price increases of 18.65% for 2023/24 and a 12.74% increase that will start in April 2024. This comes despite Eskom’s continuous failure to provide a reliable electricity supply.
Although 2024 is not expected to suffer the same severity in load shedding as 2023, energy experts have warned that load shedding is not going away anytime soon amid the poor performance of the nation’s coal-fired power stations. The average electricity tariff in South Africa is expected to increase from roughly R1.84 per kWh to around R2.07 per kWh. This average reflects the national average – local municipal prices will differ, and urban customers who consume power in higher blocks will pay more than this. Since load shedding started in 2008, electricity increases have grown by 450% – far higher than the 98% inflation over the same period. With the upcoming increase, this figure is expected to balloon further