No April Fools: Fuel and electricity up, wallets empty as SA feels the pain
· Citizen
It’s no April Fool’s joke: following a steep fuel price increase at midnight on Tuesday, South Africans now face higher electricity tariffs.
The economic pain is real for South Africans, who will have to dig very much deeper into their pockets after Eskom last month announced it would implement an 8.76% tariff hike for customers supplied directly by the utility.
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South African motorists have been dealt a massive blow and will have to fork out more for petrol and diesel at the pumps from Wednesday.
Electricity hikes
The electricity hike, which takes effect from 1 April 2026, follows a decision by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa).
South African households’ budgets are already bursting at the seams as they face increased pressure to find money to pay higher fuel prices and now electricity bills.
The increase in electricity forms part of Nersa’s tariff determination for the utility’s 2026/27 financial year and applies to customers who purchase electricity directly from the state-owned entity.
ALSO READ: Nersa publishes Eskom’s request for hefty 36% electricity tariff hike
Municipalities
Municipal bulk purchasers will implement their tariff increases, averaging 9.01%, from 1 July 2026, in line with the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), which requires municipalities to implement tariff changes at the start of their financial year.
On Tuesday, the Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) said workers’ care is being “crushed” by fuel and power hikes.
“Workers are being crushed between the rising cost of fuel and electricity. Families are forced to choose between commuting to work, putting food on the table, and keeping the lights on. This is not sustainable,” said Martle Keyter, Misa’s CEO of operations.
Electricity a right
Good party municipality councillor in the city of George, Roxaan Vorster, said: “Electricity is a right, not a profit.”
“The provision of electricity is a basic right, and it is therefore important to provide power that is affordable for all households, but specifically poor households and middle-income groups.”
The electricity increase to 8.76% follows Nersa’s correction of errors in its earlier tariff determination, which had initially set the rise at 5.36%.
More pain in 2027
Next year, the increase will amount to 8.83% instead of the previously announced 6.19%, as the additional R54 billion granted to Eskom by Nersa is phased in.
Last year, Eskom asked Nersa for a 36% tariff increase from April 2025, and 11% and 9% increases in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
The utility’s proposed tariff hike followed an almost 13% hike in April 2023. The hefty increase sparked controversy, prompting the DA to launch a petition calling for the application to be rejected.
ALSO READ: Eskom records R55bn loss, but there is light at the end of the tunnel