The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) welcomes the decision by the Mogalakwena Local Municipality (Potgietersrus) to suspend the proposed increase of the basic electricity charge for domestic prepaid users from R100 to R200.
This step offers some relief to residents who are already under severe financial strain.
While this is a positive step, the solution should not be to try and recover the financial shortfall through other tariffs or levies. Electricity tariffs ought to be fair, transparent and determined in accordance with NERSA requirements, with proper public participation before any new tariffs are introduced.
The greatest cause for concern is the tariff structure imposed on agricultural consumers. In terms of the approved tariff schedule, certain farms are classified under the Industrial Low Voltage tariff. This classification includes a fixed service and administration charge of R4 385 per month in addition to network, capacity and other charges. Although the energy rate is R1,7517 per kWh, it comprises only a portion of the total utility bill.
There are also reports of consumers being classified according to codes that are not explained in the tariff schedule. This creates uncertainty as to why certain farmers are classified under an industrial tariff rather than a separate agricultural or domestic tariff.
Furthermore, several levies appear on bills – including additional charges and estate duties – but residents are not provided with sufficient explanations of what these entail.
This lack of transparency makes it nearly impossible for consumers to interpret or verify their bills.
Consequently, the Freedom Front Plus calls on Mogalakwena to urgently review the current tariff structure and its classification of agricultural consumers.
A comprehensive cost-of-supply and tariff review should be undertaken to ensure that tariffs reflect the actual cost of service delivery, without being unfairly detrimental to any group of consumers.
The Freedom Front Plus will keep seeing to it that residents are safeguarded against unfair tariffs, and that electricity tariffs are lawfully, transparently and accountably imposed.
Freedom Front Plus Social Welfare: The party supports social welfare programs that benefit vulnerable communities.
sleek assassin
Van is getting married, but he and his fiancee have never done the deed – in fact he\’s never been with any woman before. He\’s getting more and more nervous as the big day approaches, so he confides in his friend. His friend says \’No worries man. I\’ll come by the honeymoon suite before you guys get there, and I\’ll hide behind the curtain, and I\’ll whisper instructions to you.\’
\’You\’d do that for me?\’
\’Sure thing man!\’
So the wedding day arrives, it was a lovely service (so I was told, I wasn\’t there myself) and Van\’s friend sneaks into the honeymoon suite as promised and hides behind the curtain.
Van and his new wife arrive in the room, get settled on the bed, and things are getting steamy.
But Van is still super nervous and his tummy is bubbling, so he murmers to his wife, \’Listen babe, I\’m just gonna go to the bathroom quick. I think it\’s that wors roll from earlier.\’
\’Sure thing babe.\’
So Van goes into the bathroom, and he\’s taking quite a long time. And his wife is starting to feel the nerves herself. And it\’s getting worse. She can\’t hold it in. But she doesn\’t want to go after he\’s gone and totally ruin the mood. So she looks around and finally finds a shoebox. Quickly, she does her business in the shoebox, and she shoves it under the bed just as Van comes back from the loo.
Van gets back on the bed and they go at it again. But after a minute or so Van smells something not so lekker.
\’What\’s that smell?\’
\’Nothing babe,\’ he wife tries to assure him.
\’No man there\’s definitely something not so lekker in this room!\’VSo Van starts looking around the room, in the corners, in the cupboard, and finally he looks under the bed, and sees the shoebox.
He pull it out, and opens it up, and in horror he shouts \’Sies! Daar\’s kak in hierdie doos!\’
And from behind the curtain his friend yells, \’NEE MAN, DRAAI HAAR OM!\”
Cali Yacht
Fun South African Fact: An approximate of 20% of the world’s gold is mined in South Africa.