Soweto residents demand flat rate for low income households
Soweto residents want Eskom to introduce a flat rate for low income households who cannot afford to pay for electricity.
Members of the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) marched to Eskom offices in Diepkloof on Wednesday to hand over a memorandum of demands.
Demands include that mini-substations be refurbished or build new ones, that the extended and unscheduled load shedding come to an end and increase free basic electricity to 280kW for all prepaid meters.
Eskom regional manager at the Diepkloof offices Daphne Mokoena accepted the letter, saying they will get back to the ANC in 21 working days.
The ANC's Regional Secretary in Johannesburg, Dada Morero, says community members have no problem paying for electricity so long as it is affordable.
ALSO READ: UN concerned about ‘gross human rights violations’ in public hospitals
"We have noted that our people have not been contributing to Eskom and that must come to an end. We want to pay. We don't - as leadership encourage that you don't pay - but we want affordable electricity.”
Morero says they demand a flat rate of R150 per household per month as of the 1st of March.
"We demand that you accept that our people start paying electricity from the 1st of March 2020 the minimum of R150 per household per month as a flat rate to our resident areas only.
"Those with business must make arrangements to pay business tariffs," he says.
Head of service delivery in the Gauteng ANC Matshidiso Mfikwe says they want to enter into terms of agreement with the power utility.
"There is R6000 that must be paid when people are cut off. Communities are saying that we can't afford that, we must enter into terms. Eskom is refusing that.
"I must add that we want Eskom to have an indigency policy that is going to assist communities that are not affording to be able to pay it. Including general engagement of councillors."