Liziwe McDaid, Strategic Lead at The Green Connection says, "With this latest increase proposal, Eskom is basically asking the people of South Africa to pay for its mistakes. It is as though the state utility expects the people to pay for its failure to do proper maintenance and to pay for the cost of the years of alleged corruption, which has been exposed and that we have seen. We believe that all these have now led to increased costs for Eskom, which they seemingly expect taxpayers to cover."

"As a result of Eskom's sheer lack of accountability on these issues, we must reject the proposed 36% increase. We sincerely hope that NERSA will act on behalf of the people, on this occasion, because the regulator cannot continue to prop up a dysfunctional Eskom. NERSA must make a decision that is best for the people, not for Eskom. And this increase is definitely not in the interest of the people."

"What is also concerning, is that Eskom does not seem to be looking at the need to move away from coal. They are not considering how, by staying with these harmful energy sources will likely mean more electricity price increases in future. In our view, the longer we delay moving to renewable energy, the more the people in this country – particularly those who are most vulnerable to increasing electricity costs – will continue to suffer. We hope that NERSA can be strong and do the right thing for the people of South Africa."