Free basic electricity problems in South Africa

[Mirai]

You keep saying that yet the points you make is not very relevant. People need more free units because they can`t afford electricity anymore.

Dude. The whole point of the BASIC allowance was to provide for the bare minimum basics. That allowance in terms of energy (kiloWatt hours) has stayed the same because surprise surprise the physics and climate of SA haven't changed.

But in fact that allowance now stretches even more as we now use LEDs instead of 60-100W incandescents and 200W+ CRT TVs.

The additional power needs then were even more because of the above factors. But the point of a basic free allowance as it was worked out in 2003 was to give the basics, FFS. Don't tell me about purchasing extra non basic electricity. That's irrelevant to my point.

A few energy efficient light bulbs is fart in the ozone layer compared to a geyser.

A geyser is a luxury. It's not necessary to have a geyser. You can wash in a bathub of warmed water and you don't need to shower every day. That's also a luxury.

Also BS on the bulbs. A home with 3 rooms burning 3 x 100W bulbs was using 300W per hour. Work it out. Now 3x10W bulbs would offer similar light. And they even last longer.

What you need is

1. Potable water. (no electricity needed, but boiling water can help here too)
2. Basic ablution. Especially for young children and babies. (here you may need to heat water, with electricity or via gas)
3. Indoor sanitation. (no electricity needed)
4. LIGHTS. Because of security, family life and EDUCATION.
5. Boiling water. (gas or electricity)
6. Basic cooking. (gas, coal or electricity)

Now some calculations. In terms of power draw, you need about 100Wh to boil 1 liter of water at sea level. It takes a bit less electricity (87Wh) to boil 1 liter of water at the altitude of 1500m so roughly Soweto.

50,000 Watt hours is enough to boil 500L of water.

If you boil 5L of water daily that would require 15kWh for 30 days.

That should be enough to provide tea/coffee and enough to provide potable water if necessary and enough to do basic ablution.


People can always top up a few KWh if they need. They don't need to buy as much as in 2003.

They still need to buy electricity, but now they can buy much less. A few energy efficient light bulbs is the red herring.

That has nothing to do with a free basic allowance, FFS. They don't need to buy more now than before ergo the free basic allowance which was there for free basics is now actually more than before.

I don't know what's with so many 30 percenters on here lately.

But claiming that electricity is more expensive does not mean that the allowance offered in 2003 is less now.

 

[Benedict A55h0le not]

Dude. The whole point of the BASIC allowance was to provide for the bare minimum basics. That allowance in terms of energy (kiloWatt hours) has stayed the same because surprise surprise the physics and climate of SA haven't changed.

But in fact that allowance now stretches even more as we now use LEDs instead of 60-100W incandescents and 200W+ CRT TVs.

The additional power needs then were even more because of the above factors. But the point of a basic free allowance as it was worked out in 2003 was to give the basics, FFS. Don't tell me about purchasing extra non basic electricity. That's irrelevant to my point.



A geyser is a luxury. It's not necessary to have a geyser. You can wash in a bathub of warmed water and you don't need to shower every day. That's also a luxury.

Also BS on the bulbs. A home with 3 rooms burning 3 x 100W bulbs was using 300W per hour. Work it out. Now 3x10W bulbs would offer similar light. And they even last longer.

What you need is

1. Potable water. (no electricity needed, but boiling water can help here too)
2. Basic ablution. Especially for young children and babies. (here you may need to heat water, with electricity or via gas)
3. Indoor sanitation. (no electricity needed)
4. LIGHTS. Because of security, family life and EDUCATION.
5. Boiling water. (gas or electricity)
6. Basic cooking. (gas, coal or electricity)

Now some calculations. In terms of power draw, you need about 100Wh to boil 1 liter of water at sea level. It takes a bit less electricity (87Wh) to boil 1 liter of water at the altitude of 1500m so roughly Soweto.

50,000 Watt hours is enough to boil 500L of water.

If you boil 5L of water daily that would require 15kWh for 30 days.

That should be enough to provide tea/coffee and enough to provide potable water if necessary and enough to do basic ablution.


People can always top up a few KWh if they need. They don't need to buy as much as in 2003.



That has nothing to do with a free basic allowance, FFS. They don't need to buy more now than before ergo the free basic allowance which was there for free basics is now actually more than before.

I don't know what's with so many 30 percenters on here lately.

But claiming that electricity is more expensive does not mean that the allowance offered in 2003 is less now.

Can you please summarize that? The mere fact that you feel the need to word-spam me tells me you are talking nonsense.

Fact remains, they need more free units because whatever less usage there is now from a few light bulbs is a fart in the ozone layer compared to how much the price has gone up since 2003.

 

[Mirai]

Can you please summarize that? The mere fact that you feel the need to word-spam me tells me you are talking nonsense.

Fact remains, they need more free units because whatever less usage there is now from a few light bulbs is a fart in the ozone layer compared to how much the price has gone up since 2003.

Good bye troll.

 

[Benedict A55h0le not]

Good bye troll.

 

[phoneJunky]

Can you please summarize that? The mere fact that you feel the need to word-spam me tells me you are talking nonsense.

Fact remains, they need more free units because whatever less usage there is now from a few light bulbs is a fart in the ozone layer compared to how much the price has gone up since 2003.

I let chatgpt do it for me:

1. Policy Context and Objective​

• Goal: Alleviate energy poverty and support indigent households with a minimum amount of electricity for basic needs, especially in areas where households cannot afford energy.
• Target group: Poor or low-income households earning below a certain threshold, typically defined by municipalities.
• Affordability: The amount had to be economically viable within the national budget while still providing meaningful relief.

2. Technical and Practical Usage Assessment​

Various basic electricity uses were analyzed to determine what 50kWh could realistically support for a low-income family. These included:

Use Category	Typical Appliance	Estimated Monthly Usage
Lighting	4–5 CFL or LED bulbs for a few hours daily	~15 kWh
Communication	TV, radio, cellphone charging	~10 kWh
Cooking (minimal)	Kettle or small hotplate for tea/soup	~10–15 kWh
Refrigeration	Energy-efficient fridge (optional)	~15–20 kWh
Ironing / small tasks	Iron once a week, sewing machine, etc.	~5 kWh

Conclusion: 50kWh/month was found to be sufficient for essential services, but not for high-energy appliances like heaters, stoves, or geysers.

Summary​

The 50kWh/month free allocation was based on:

• An assessment of minimum energy needs (lighting, communication, minimal cooking).
• Considerations around health, safety, dignity, and gender equity.
• Economic and technical feasibility.
• Aimed at providing a “basic energy floor” without encouraging unsustainable consumption.

3. Translating This into Equivalent FBE in 2025​

Year	Total FBE to Match 2003 Service Levels	Assumed Efficiency Improvements
2003	50 kWh/month	Incandescent bulbs, older fridges
2025	~30–35 kWh/month	LED lighting, efficient fridge, modest gains in other appliances

The FBE was allocated for certain use cases and those use cases use less energy today. I don't think anyone is saying people don't use more than 50kWh, just that government was never going to foot the whole bill and that the part government was willing to cover got more energy efficient so saying the limit hasn't changed actually covers more today than what it did back then - this doesn't mean we can't say we want more to be covered, just that the article's framing of it is silly. Doesn't seem like they even consider hot water in the geyser an essential service.

 

[Mirai]

View attachment 1839435

The same guy who sh-ts on the DA for indigent subsidizes now becomes a white knight for them here.

 

[Mirai]

I should add that running a fridge should be pretty important.

That's 'typically between 300-800 watts per day'.

How Many Watts Does A Refrigerator Use?

A refrigerator uses between 300 and 600 watts of electricity, but usually much less than that on average to stay powered.

www.energysage.com

Midea claim:

• Energy Consumption: 269 kWh/year

Takealot.com: Online Shopping | SA's leading online store

South Africa's leading online store. Fast, reliable delivery to your door. Many ways to pay. Shop anything you can imagine: TVs, laptops, cellphones, kitchen appliances, toys, books, beauty & more. Shop the mobile app anytime, anywhere.

www.takealot.com

That's about 23KWh /month.

Fridges in 2003 were not only relatively more expensive - fewer Chinese makes - but also less energy efficient too.

 

[Mariner]

I should add that running a fridge should be pretty important.

Fridges in 2003 were not only relatively more expensive - fewer Chinese makes - but also less energy efficient too.

You will not find a fridge or microwave in a household on SASSA grants. Vegetables, meat and fruit are a luxury. Evidenced by children's tooth marks in green fruit they attempt to steal from trees and drop when they find it inedible. They have no idea that fruit has to be ripe to eat, as they have never eaten fruit.

Adults from these households are overweight due to the high carb content of their food, manifesting in the classic malnourished fat carbbody shape and type 2 diabetes.

Malnutrition is the reason the kids suffer and drop out of school from grade 8. The old mattress is also on the floor. This shows you have never been into one of these households.

The Northern Cape Education Department has established a task team to investigate the alarming rate of high school dropouts in the province, with over 4,000 learners leaving the system in the first quarter of this year alone.

Grades 8-10 Hit Hardest as Northern Cape Grapples with 4,000+ School Dropouts - South Africa Today

The Northern Cape Education Department has established a task team to investigate the alarming rate of high school dropouts in the province, with over 4,000

southafricatoday.net

But I found an article that sums it up perfectly:

Thousands of South Africans continue to face severe energy poverty, with many forced to choose between buying food or paying for electricity. This harsh reality was highlighted in a recent report from Plastic View Cemetery informal settlement in Pretoria, where residents rely on dangerous and costly alternatives like paraffin, wood, and coal for their daily energy needs.

The report underscores a broader crisis in South Africa, where energy poverty persists despite government promises of expanded electrification. With rising living costs, many informal settlement dwellers are left with no choice but to use unsafe energy sources, further endangering their health and safety.

MSN

 

[Mirai]

You will not find a fridge or microwave in a household on SASSA grants. Vegetables, meat and fruit are a luxury. Evidenced by children's tooth marks in green fruit they attempt to steal from trees and drop when they find it inedible. They have no idea that fruit has to be ripe to eat, as they have never eaten fruit.

That's false. I know people on SASSA grants and they own fridges. I know because they keep meds in them.

Adults from these households are overweight due to the high carb content of their food, manifesting in the classic malnourished fat carbbody shape and type 2 diabetes.

That's a global problem.

The old mattress is also on the floor. This shows you have never been into one of these households.

No you're talking rubbish mate. I've worked in poor communities and treated such patients.

The Northern Cape Education Department has established a task team to investigate the alarming rate of high school dropouts in the province, with over 4,000 learners leaving the system in the first quarter of this year alone.

School lunches then? But giving more free power for heaters and entertainment won't fix this.

Grades 8-10 Hit Hardest as Northern Cape Grapples with 4,000+ School Dropouts - South Africa Today

The Northern Cape Education Department has established a task team to investigate the alarming rate of high school dropouts in the province, with over 4,000

southafricatoday.net

But I found an article that sums it up perfectly:

Thousands of South Africans continue to face severe energy poverty, with many forced to choose between buying food or paying for electricity. This harsh reality was highlighted in a recent report from Plastic View Cemetery informal settlement in Pretoria, where residents rely on dangerous and costly alternatives like paraffin, wood, and coal for their daily energy needs.

South Africans have always faced energy poverty. When was there a time when the majority did not face that?

The report underscores a broader crisis in South Africa, where energy poverty persists despite government promises of expanded electrification. With rising living costs, many informal settlement dwellers are left with no choice but to use unsafe energy sources, further endangering their health and safety.

Ask the ANC.

MSN

People will struggle without electricity but it's an INFORMAL settlement. Do you want 240Volt lines to bring power to cardboard and corrugated steel hokkies?

Again you're someone who can't focus on the problem.

The basic energy provided was enough in 2003 and it's now also enough, IF it was enough then.

Problems are many in SA. They're even worse in other countries.

But the main reason for these problems is the way the country is run.

Again I don't know what you want? You are free to go into a squatter camp with R100 notes to give away.

But to claim 50khw is not enough because it's from 2003 is bollocks.


And dude, things will only get worse. These are still the good times for these folks.

 

[zerocool2009]

The issue with this article : It starts with FREE!

 

[Mariner]

But to claim 50khw is not enough because it's from 2003 is bollocks.

That was not my claim. My claim is that the poor cannot afford the amount of supplementary elctricity they require for the rest of the month, which they could in 2003 due to the massive increase in the price of electricity. Never mind availability tariffs tacked on that didn't exist in 2003.

That's false. I know people on SASSA grants and they own fridges. I know because they keep meds in them.

No you're talking rubbish mate. I've worked in poor communities and treated such patients.

Do you work in DoH clinics that serve the poor to know this?

 

[Mirai]

That was not my claim. My claim is that the poor cannot afford the amount of supplementary elctricity they require for the rest of the month,

That does not change that the basic electricity if it was enough in 2003, is now not enough. You're following muddled thinking here.

which they could in 2003

Citation needed that they 'could'. If they could, why were they provided with a basic allowance?

due to the massive increase in the price of electricity. Never mind availability tariffs tacked on that didn't exist in 2003.

Dude, that's not relevant.

Basics are basics. End of story. Then you can supplement what little you can afford.

The poor can't have it like the rich, or else they'd be rich.

Do you work in DoH clinics that serve the poor to know this?

Dude, I worked in a few different government hospitals and clinics in the past.

 

[Mariner]

That does not change that the basic electricity if it was enough in 2003, is now not enough.

How many more times do I have to state that was not my claim? FBE wasn't enough in 2003, but the poor could afford the rest needed for the month. No longer because electricity iis several times the inflationary cost.

Basics are basics. End of story. Then you can supplement what little you can afford.

They could supplement in 2003. They can't afford to supplement now:

Electricity prices have risen far faster than inflation since 2000, with the cost of energy rising just over ten times as Eskom’s performance deteriorates and its finances come under pressure.

South Africa’s electricity prices increased 1,000% in twenty years

Electricity prices in South Africa have risen more than tenfold in two decades, prompting calls from the OECD for urgent reforms to ensure reliable, affordable power and Eskom’s financial sustainability.

dailyinvestor.com

South Africa’s residential electricity prices are well above the average tariff in 144 countries and more expensive than in most African countries, according to GlobalPetrolPrices.

South Africa’s electricity prices way above average — and more expensive than most of Africa

Most of South Africa’s neighbours have lower electricity tariffs, despite getting much of their supply from Eskom.

mybroadband.co.za

Dude, I worked in a few different government hospitals and clinics in the past.

In South Africa?
How long ago?
Did you call your patients Dude?

 

[Mirai]

How many more times do I have to state that was not my claim? FBE wasn't enough in 2003, but the poor could afford the rest needed for the month. No longer because electricity iis several times the inflationary cost.

Then you need to stop arguing because you're arguing that it's not enough. You use poor logic.

They could supplement in 2003. They can't afford to supplement now:

Citation needed. Who is this THEY?

Electricity prices have risen far faster than inflation since 2000, with the cost of energy rising just over ten times as Eskom’s performance deteriorates and its finances come under pressure.

Yes but why do you say it was affordable then and not now?

South Africa’s electricity prices increased 1,000% in twenty years

Electricity prices in South Africa have risen more than tenfold in two decades, prompting calls from the OECD for urgent reforms to ensure reliable, affordable power and Eskom’s financial sustainability.

dailyinvestor.com

South Africa’s residential electricity prices are well above the average tariff in 144 countries and more expensive than in most African countries, according to GlobalPetrolPrices.

Residential electricity prices. Yet you quoted an informal settlement earlier on.

South Africa’s electricity prices way above average — and more expensive than most of Africa

Most of South Africa’s neighbours have lower electricity tariffs, despite getting much of their supply from Eskom.

mybroadband.co.za

That doesn't show that it was affordable then.

You use poor logic, mate. We're going in circles.

Arguing that supplementation is more expensive does not negate that the basic allowance has not effectively increased since 2003 or that it's inadequate.

People are of different means. For some it was astronomically expensive back then. For many of the people I know, it's now expensive but they can afford the basics. They don't own a car. They don't own a house but they can get by with the basics.

In South Africa?
How long ago?

I do still see some poor patients even now. You're out of luck.

Anyway, you've already told me you don't know the answer. You just want the taxpayer to pay more for power so that a few more KWH can trickle to the poor who often live in informal housing - so not even sure how any electricity must trickle there.

Look you need to learn the hard reality. South Africans produce little. They vote in people who institute policies which destroy wealth and bring everyone down. SA keep on declining. The 50KWh people get now will become an unreliable 50KWh later and one day maybe all electricity will be free - ala Somalia or Liberia - but there won't be any money to produce it.

 

[Mariner]

Then you need to stop arguing because you're arguing that it's not enough. You use poor logic.

You don't seem to English good. That is not my argument. Here is my argument again:

They could supplement in 2003. They can't afford to supplement now.

All the rest of your post is waffle. My argument is clear.

 

[Mirai]

You don't seem to English good. That is not my argument. Here is my argument again:



All the rest of your post is waffle. My argument is clear.

No it's not waffle.

I started commenting here because some people claimed that 50KWh is now not enough because it's from 2003.

I then showed that 50KWh stretches much further these days because of efficiencies.

But the fact remains that it was basic then and many people couldn't afford more then. And they still can't afford now. Maybe more can't afford now but that's a problem with the overall price. That's not a problem with the basic allowance which has remained above inflation and despite improved efficiencies.

Had you argued that in 2003 people got R100 worth of free electricity and now they get R100+ 22years of inflation, I would have agreed with you. But the total amount people get is the same. And our climate hasn't changed in that time.

Everything else is worse, but this ONE SINGLE thing has remained the same. The economy has grown below population growth. But the allowance has grown above inflation rate. You bring in red herrings and all. Everyone is poor. Yes everyone is poor. They were already poor in 2003. Now they're MORE poor. And in 2033 they'll be even more poor. Because SA is heading down one way. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. The authorities are full of hubris. The people in SA blame Trump because he gave before and now he doesn't want to give. Rich people get blamed because they're rich. Only politicians and cadres don't get blamed. They do well.

 

[Mariner]

Had you argued that in 2003 people got R100 worth of free electricity and now they get R100+ 22years of inflation, I would have agreed with you. But the total amount people get is the same.

But that's exactly what I said. You don't seem to understand.

 

[Benedict A55h0le not]

No it's not waffle.

I started commenting here because some people claimed that 50KWh is now not enough because it's from 2003.

I then showed that 50KWh stretches much further these days because of efficiencies.

But the fact remains that it was basic then and many people couldn't afford more then. And they still can't afford now. Maybe more can't afford now but that's a problem with the overall price. That's not a problem with the basic allowance which has remained above inflation and despite improved efficiencies.

Had you argued that in 2003 people got R100 worth of free electricity and now they get R100+ 22years of inflation, I would have agreed with you. But the total amount people get is the same. And our climate hasn't changed in that time.

Everything else is worse, but this ONE SINGLE thing has remained the same. The economy has grown below population growth. But the allowance has grown above inflation rate. You bring in red herrings and all. Everyone is poor. Yes everyone is poor. They were already poor in 2003. Now they're MORE poor. And in 2033 they'll be even more poor. Because SA is heading down one way. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. The authorities are full of hubris. The people in SA blame Trump because he gave before and now he doesn't want to give. Rich people get blamed because they're rich. Only politicians and cadres don't get blamed. They do well.

You can not prove any of it. Was there no energy efficient light bulbs in 2003? TVs I am also not sure, the screen takes 99% of the electricity, and screens are much bigger today. Fridges same, cheap fridges that indigents buy will not be much more energy efficient today. Some households might stretch 50 further today, others don`t. The point stands, 50 is not enough, they need to buy more just like in 2003, probably the same amount of units needed in most cases.

 

[Benedict A55h0le not]

I see that back in 2003 the indigent did not even get a subsidized tariff beyond the free allocation. They got 30kwh free and after that paid the same rate as the non-indigent middle class. Because of this, the indigent receives much much more today than in 2003. This shows how much more socialist SA has become, and also how privileged the indigent is today compared to 2003.

 

[Swa]

No such thing as "free" electricity.

Cheap electricity is a plausible concept. But...

A: Not while so much electricity is "free", and the maker of said electricity has to foot the bill (imagine that...)
B: If wherever you're buying your stuff from is paying more for electricity because you're paying less/nothing. Then you'll still pay for it through the things you buy.

In a nutshell. "Free" electricity is fake news. Like displacing the need for income taxes using tax revenue generated from trade tariffs. You'll never make the poor richer by finagling a way for them to pay less than others for the basics like electricity, water, petrol, etc. In the same economy. Where those things are concerned - Die wet van Transvaal - Is kak of betaal. And everybody will be far better off if they know what they're paying for upfront, instead of ending up cross-subsidising their own "discounts" via a million and one increases to their other expenditures. Oh... And once the system falls over, because of madness like that, then it'll always be kak en betaal. Double. COD.

That is wrong. The FBE doesn't get subsidised out of what you pay for electricity but from treasury. The FBE also does not increase the price of other goods and is irrelevant here. In fact if electricity was cheaper we could in fact afford to subsidise even more.

You've made up your mind about how the lower tiers of Maslow's hierarchy can live while living yourself on the higher tiers. I will not be pursuing this argument.

It's no use, he's unable to grasp it.

Dude. The whole point of the BASIC allowance was to provide for the bare minimum basics. That allowance in terms of energy (kiloWatt hours) has stayed the same because surprise surprise the physics and climate of SA haven't changed.

You don't know what the point was and how it was calculated. A lot more went into it than merely what you need for the basics. The real red herring here is your claim that the 50kW stretches much further today. So you can shave a few kWh off with more efficient appliances. It's not so much as you think as those applications never used so much to begin with and indigents usually get hand me downs which are less efficient.

You claim that it's basic needs and people can live off 50kW but you yourself use a lot more. The point of the 50kW was never that people should live off that and only that, but that they could buy the rest. It's not about the 50kW but the rest and what can be done to provide relief there but you're unable to understand that and that the 50kW and efficiency is the real her herring here.

The rest people HAVE to buy has gotten more expensive tenfold. Electricity has not rises with inflation as you claim but has driven inflation. It has gotten to the situation where MORE people now have to choose between buying electricity or food. Note, I'm not saying that some people never had to make this choice but that MORE people now have to.

Look you need to learn the hard reality. South Africans produce little. They vote in people who institute policies which destroy wealth and bring everyone down. SA keep on declining. The 50KWh people get now will become an unreliable 50KWh later and one day maybe all electricity will be free - ala Somalia or Liberia - but there won't be any money to produce it.

Great, so we should just give up and not strive for better for everyone. You might as well go dig your grave then and lay in it.