On July 1, Capetonians were outraged at the electricity tariff increases, which for some dealt a death blow to their ever-increasing cost of living.
For many, such as myself, who made dead sure that we remained under 400kw/month, this made me not only perplexed but angry. How was the increase decided upon and then implemented?
After reading about why my tariff went from R1.10 to R3.68 per unit (which is more than 100% increase!), I was even more angry.
I rent (because I don’t earn enough to buy a decent house), I pay tax, I have to deal with the basic things we all need constantly increasing in cost – and now this?
I e-mailed the City of Cape Town on July 1. Their automated response said they would respond in 24 hours.
Being a Saturday, I imagined that Tuesday would be the day they would tell me why they had decided to make me decidedly poorer.
I have yet to receive a response from a human, even after e-mailing again on July 7. I don’t own any property of any value, so how does a property value affect me? And why should my living expenses increase? This is unfair.
Many social media groups have been created, as most South Africans simply cannot afford this increase. Someone, somewhere in these groups spoke about my basic rights.
I then went back to the constitution, and found this:
"(3) A local government shall, to the extent determined in any applicable law, make provision for access by all persons residing within its area of jurisdiction to water, sanitation, transportation facilities, electricity, primary health services, education, housing and security within a safe and healthy environment, provided that such services and amenities can be rendered in a sustainable manner and are financially and physically practicable."
Who thought such an increase was practical or fair, and financially viable?
We pay our taxes, meant to keep this country functioning, to pay our government, who are publicly corrupt and mismanaged, and then further bear the brunt of increasing costs of a BASIC RIGHT.
In the long term, more people will turn to crime or informal settlements just to be able to afford to live.
I may have to, as wanting to live in a brick house that won’t flood every winter, means having to live in the dark.
There goes my son's dream of being a chef; I can’t afford the electricity for him to cook.