New Post

Eskom pushes load shedding to stage 4 – here is the new weekend schedule

“Regretfully Stage 4 load shedding will be implemented from 14h00 on Friday until 05h00 on Saturday. Thereafter Stage 2 load shedding will continue until 05h00 on Monday,” it said.

The power utility said that power outages shut down of its three generating units at Kendal power station, the trip of a unit each at Tutka and Matimba power stations, and the delayed return of units at Majuba and Lethabo.

“Stage 4 load shedding is necessary to stop the use of OCGT (open-cycle gas turbine) generators in order to preserve the remaining fuel at these power stations, which is critically low.

” There is insufficient diesel available in the country to continue generating with the OCGTs at the current rate. It is anticipated that some generating units will return to service alter today and overnight allowing a reduction to stage 2 load shedding for the remainder of the weekend.”

Eskom has warned in a summer load shedding forecast for 2021/2022, that its system is likely to remain severely constrained for the near future.

For people living in the major metros, load shedding schedules are available here:

For access to other load shedding schedules, Eskom has made them available on loadshedding.eskom.co.za.

Smartphone users can also download the app EskomSePush to receive push notifications when load shedding is implemented, as well as the times the area you are in will be off.

Eskom: Former execs ‘conspired’ to benefit the Gupta brothers

Former Eskom executives conspired with the Gupta brothers and their business associates for six years to syphon funds from the power utility, a summons revealed.

The 73-page summons, filed by Eskom with the Special Investigating Unit, with the North Gauteng High Court on Monday seeks to recover R3.8 billion from former executives, board members and members of the Gupta family and their associates. There are twelve defendants in the matter and include former Chief Executive Officer Brian Molefe, former Chief Financial Officer Anoj Singh, former Group Executive for Generation Matshela Koko, who also served as acting chief executive. Eskom's former head of legal, Suzanne Daniels and former Board Chairperson Ben Ngubane, and former board members Chwayita Mabude and Mark Pamensky are also named.

Gupta brothers Atul, Rajesh, Ajay and their business associated Salim Essa are also listed as defendants.

Between 2012 and 2018 the defendants "conspired" together with 13 others, including Gupta-linked firms Regiments Capital and Trillian Capital Partners, the summons read.

"The object of the conspiracy was the corrupt, alternatively irregular, diversion of resources from organs of state in South Africa, and, in particular, South African state-owned enterprises, improperly to benefit the Gupta brothers, their family, and entities controlled by the Gupta brothers and/or Essa."

The document lists examples of how public funds were diverted to benefit the Gupta family and their entities and references the Estina Dairy Project, the diversion of funds to Gupta-linked firm Homix and even the corruption at Transnet under the leadership of Molefe and Singh.

Pertaining to Eskom, the summons indicates that Molefe and other executives breached their fiduciary duty to Eskom.

Defendants have 10 days upon being served the summons to indicate their intention to defend it.

Earlier this week Daniels told Fin24 she had not received the summons but that, "any summons shall be vigorously defended once received." Koko also declined to comment on the mater, as he had not received the summons and required clarity on Eskom's case against him.

High bill concerns plague Krugersdorp – Municipality responds

Readings for April and May were estimated based on each household’s consumption in the previous three months, resulting in some being undercharged – Mogale City Local Municipality.

The News and the Mogale City Local Municipality (MCLM) have received multiple queries from concerned residents about seemingly high amounts on their electricity and/ or water accounts.

To these ends, communications representative for the MCLM, Refilwe Mabena noted in a statement that, “Due to national lockdown regulations, no meter readings were done in compliance to the Covid-19 protocols. Readings for the months of April and May were therefore estimated based on each household’s consumption in the previous three months, i.e. January, February and March 2020.

As a result, some households were undercharged in April and May, as these readings were based on previous summer months’ estimation when consumption is lower, whilst usage increased during winter lockdown as members of many households were not at work.”

Refilwe added that meter readers were only able to take readings again when the country went into Level 3 lockdown. This led to an escalation in the June municipal bill amounts.

Residents in need of more information on the matter can visit the Revenue Services offices or send an email to customerservices@mogalecity.gov.za.


JOBURG PREPAID ELECTRICITY CUSTOMERS IN FOR A SHOCK

A household could see an increase of almost 50% as the city works to level pre- and post-paid charges.

Joburg households and businesses using prepaid electricity are in for a shock if the fixed charges proposed in the city’s draft budget are approved.

It was tabled on Friday and stakeholders have until 23 June to comment.

The city proposes a new R200 basic charge for prepaid residential customers and R400 for prepaid business customers.


That is over and above the increases to existing charges per kilowatt-hour (kWh) used, which are way above the current inflation rate. The proposal is for an 8.1% increase for residential prepaid and 5.8% for business.

In addition, the lowest tariff block for residential prepaid customers would be reduced by 50kWh to 300kWh, meaning that higher tariff blocks will be reached earlier in the month than before.

This means a household that uses 374 units a month will go from paying R527 to R780 per month, excluding Vat, from July 1 if the proposal is accepted – an increase of almost 50%.

Misleading disclosure

This is not properly disclosed in the document published for public comment because, in calculating the average increase per user group, only the increase in charges per kWh used is taken into account.


The city tried to introduce the R200 basic charge for prepaid residential users last year, without even including it in the draft budget, but scrapped the fee after Moneyweb disclosed it.


According to a report to the mayoral committee dated March 20 that Moneyweb has seen, the new charges are aimed at closing the gap between prepaid and conventional users.

It states that the: “Residential prepaid customer currently does not make [an adequate] contribution to the cost of operating and maintaining the electricity infrastructure to ensure its availability on demand. It is therefore proposed to introduce a capacity charge of R200/m for all residential prepaid customers.” (sic)

Closing the gap

If the city gets its way, it will increasingly be closing the gap between residential prepaid and conventional users over the next three years.

Residential users who have been buying electricity on credit are currently paying fixed charges of R527 per month. The city proposes increasing this to R757 per month, in itself a 43% increase.

In its budget document the city also understates the proposed tariff increase for conventional users at 8.1% by excluding the fixed charges from the calculation.

The introduction of the R400 basic charge for prepaid business customers is also aimed at closing the gap between them and conventional users. In the report to the mayoral committee it is proposed that this be increased by a further R400 next year.

Conventional business users currently pay between R800 and R900 per month in basic charges, with the unit cost only slightly lower than that of their prepaid counterparts.

The report to the mayoral committee states: “Currently customers on business tariff can avoid paying any basic charges by simply converting to the prepaid tariff. The business prepaid customer currently does not make [an adequate] contribution to the cost of operating and maintaining the electricity infrastructure to ensure its availability on demand.”

Proposed increases exceed Nersa guideline

According to David Mertens of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, who has conducted a study of electricity tariffs, the increase the City of Joburg is looking for is well above the Nersa (National Energy Regulator of SA) guideline of 6.22% and will need proper justification.

Mertens says that while the new basic charges will be a shock to customers, they might be justifiable.

He says basic charges in the tariff structure can mitigate the risk of non-payment and electricity theft. If meter tampering results in undercharging, the basic charge will at least guarantee the municipality some income.

Mertens says most municipalities are under-recovering on domestic tariffs “because that is where the votes are” – and Nersa has been allowing it.

This results in other customer groups, especially industry, paying more to subsidise residential users.

“Domestic tariffs should work out around R2.00 to R2.20 per kWh on average and the current tariffs in the City of Joburg are well below that,” he says.

The cost of domestic users

Mertens says the rationale regarding fixed charges is clearly aimed at covering the substantial basic cost domestic users represent for municipalities.

While a fixed charge is in line with cost reflectivity and should be part of the tariff, the amount at which such a charge is set can be debated, he says.

“I think R100 to R150 per month or even R200 per user would not be unreasonable,” says Mertens.

“R500 for conventional metering seems very heavy to me, but that might be the right measure to move people to prepaid and to get rid of non-payment.”

Mertens also notes that the City of Joburg has electricity losses of more than 20%, more than double the rate expected from a good distributor. The city would try to compensate for the loss through tariffs, he says.

“The big question is what the city will do to stem the losses and increase efficiency.

“The fixed charge might help in some respects, but the problem is much bigger than that.”

Brought to you by Moneyweb