Pretoria - Civil rights movement #NotInMyName has vowed to take a fight against load shedding and increased electricity tariffs to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) and the Union Buildings on Friday.
This comes as many South Africans continue to vent their anger and frustration on social media regarding Eskom’s18.65% tariff increase for 2023/24 approved by Nersa last week.
Nersa has also approved a 12,7% increase for the 2024/2025 financial year.
#NotInMyName denounced the fact that the public can not pay more for electricity while they were being plunged into darkness due to load shedding and effectively receiving less power from Eskom.
Under the hashtag #SAagainstLoadShedding, the organisation said it would partner with Mamelodi Nellmapius Eersterust stakeholders forum in taking its first step towards reclaiming the people’s power by marching to Nersa and then to the Union Buildings.
Participants are expected to converge at Church Square in the morning before departing to the respective destinations.
Calls would be made on the day for the government to declare a national state of disaster in light of the rolling blackouts that engulfed the country.
The organisation also wanted a moratorium on coal exports and salary increases to be issued until load shedding was resolved.
It would also demand that the public be provided with weekly “family meeting” updates and for Nersa’s tariff hike to be staved-off.
“What is significant to remember is that if South Africans silently agree to pay more to receive less electricity, it is like funding load shedding itself; like being an advocate of their own misfortune,” the organisation said.
It said that in the wake of last week’s tariff hike announcement, “South Africans have expressed how crestfallen they are at the mismanagement of state resources, particularly where load shedding is concerned”.
“The unfortunate pattern identified by #NotInMyName is that of the Bystander Effect where some South Africans’ stance is to not act because of the assumption that silence yields similar results. We caution them against this self-fulfilling prophecy, which fuels the injustices perpetuated by the oppressor,” the civil rights movement said.
Pretoria News