Joburg and Cape Town rally against Eskom price increase

Hanno Labuschagne

Hanno Labuschagne

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Joburg and Cape Town rally against Eskom price increase

Johannesburg has joined Cape Town in opposing plans by South Africa’s national power utility to raise electricity costs by more than three times the current inflation rate.

The objection by the country’s two biggest cities adds to widespread public outrage over Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd.’s proposal to raise its charges by 21%.

[Bloomberg]
 
Yup Eskom raises it by 21% muncipalities raise it by 25%, but in reality they raise it by 30%, they just hide that in higher tiers.
 
While I am dead against these increases, what is the alternative for Eskom to bring down it's debt?

I mean in reality, Eskom needs money to solve its debt issues and basically keep the lights on, we all know this.

Yes their lack of money comes from mismanagement and state capture, but they no longer have the money that was stolen and we all know they not going to get back the billions lost. Claiming back from municipalities who have no money isn't working.

Eskom is actually starting to show a turn around with new management, so in all seriousness where else can Eskom get this additional money they need without incurring more debt? Asking for a friend...
 
Murmaider said:
While I am dead against these increases, what is the alternative for Eskom to bring down it's debt?

I mean in reality, Eskom needs money to solve its debt issues and basically keep the lights on, we all know this.

Yes their lack of money comes from mismanagement and state capture, but they no longer have the money that was stolen and we all know they not going to get back the billions lost. Claiming back from municipalities who have no money isn't working.

Eskom is actually starting to show a turn around with new management, so in all seriousness where else can Eskom get this additional money they need without incurring more debt? Asking for a friend...
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They need to actually get the people who don't pay, to pay. Also if they aren't getting from muncipalities what makes you think the increase would help their debt anyway?
 
Lupus said:
They need to actually get the people who don't pay, to pay. Also if they aren't getting from muncipalities what makes you think the increase would help their debt anyway?
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True, however there is a money cost associated with debt collecting from people who don't pay.
Who covers that cost of trying to get the money out of people who owe them money (legal fees, staff salaries, etc)?

I guess I'm more saying that Eskom is in a deep hole and needs money to get out of it.
Asking for more loans means more debt.
Collecting money from those who owe money, costs money and takes a lot of time and I don't think is proving to be very successful (I stand to be corrected here).

I hate this increase, but no one seems to be giving a viable alternative of how eskom can raise the money they need quickly to get them out this hole, without incurring more debt or having to spend more money. What alternative is there to the tax payer in this regard?
 
They already got 15% last year. Why dont they hunt down all that municipalities that are in debt to them, rather than want to milk us dry.
 
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Tman543 said:
They already got 15% last year. Why dont they hunt down all that municipalities that are in debt to them, rather that want to milk us dry.
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Because it's like trying to get money out of someone who is liquidated.
If they dont have the money, they dont have the money, the municipalities can't just make the money they owe appear to eskom.
 
Murmaider said:
Because it's like trying to get money out of someone who is liquidated.
If they dont have the money, they dont have the money, the municipalities can't just make the money they owe appear to eskom.
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Well in reality they are not liquidated... They should go the legal route and get them liquidated if that what takes.
 
Tman543 said:
Well in reality they are not liquidated... They should go the legal route and get them liquidated if that what takes.
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The municipalities need money in order to get money out of the customers who aren't paying the municipalities, however the municipalities are bankrupt for all intents and purposes, liquidating them is going to do what exactly?

Eskom can't go after every single individual that isn't paying their account to the municipalities, that would be less successful than trying to take everyone who isn't paying etolls to court. What would to cost of this exercise be to Eskom to try and recover this money?

I'm also pretty sure they doing this anyway, how successful do you believe this has been in recovering money?
 
Murmaider said:
The municipalities need money in order to get money out of the customers who aren't paying the municipalities, however the municipalities are bankrupt for all intents and purposes, liquidating them is going to do what exactly?

Eskom can't go after every single individual that isn't paying their account to the municipalities, that would be less successful than trying to take everyone who isn't paying etolls to court. What would to cost of this exercise be to Eskom to try and recover this money?

I'm also pretty sure they doing this anyway, how successful do you believe this has been in recovering money?
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Good for you that you dont seem to mind to pay for theft and corruption. I am against that.
 
Benedict A55h0le said:
Good for you that you dont seem to mind to pay for theft and corruption. I am against that.
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Please can you point out where I said this? I have already stated that I am against the increase and that I'm genuinely asking what is a viable alternative to the tax payer paying for all of this and here you come along with your dumb ass response about me not minding paying for theft and corruption. Well done guy
 
Murmaider said:
The municipalities need money in order to get money out of the customers who aren't paying the municipalities, however the municipalities are bankrupt for all intents and purposes, liquidating them is going to do what exactly?

Eskom can't go after every single individual that isn't paying their account to the municipalities, that would be less successful than trying to take everyone who isn't paying etolls to court. What would to cost of this exercise be to Eskom to try and recover this money?

I'm also pretty sure they doing this anyway, how successful do you believe this has been in recovering money?
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I think you kinda missing the point, if they go the legal route they get more freedom to enforce the debtors to pay back.

Regardless if they have paying customers, they are redistributors of electricity if they cant pay back the supplier, Why should the Eskom even bother to provide them with the electricity??? Give them nothing and you will see how quickly that debt turn ups.
 
Tman543 said:
I think you kinda missing the point, if they go the legal route they get more freedom to enforce the debtors to pay back.

Regardless if they have paying customers, they are redistributors of electricity if they cant pay back the supplier, Why should the Eskom even bother to provide them with the electricity??? Give them nothing and you will see how quickly that debt turn ups.
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How do they go about policing the people who haven't paid.
I mean you going to need a hell of a people on the ground to constantly connect / disconnect and enforce that someone who they have disconnected, hasn't just gone and reconnected or turned themselves back on (so staff salaries)? I mean they don't even have enough staff to police illegal connections, let alone all people who have accounts and don't pay the municipality.

In your 2nd point you speaking about turning off an entire municipality, how would you react if your municipality was shutoff by eskom, but you as an individual has paid your electricity account? Would you still stand by what you saying if it affected your municipality and you directly?

However this is still not answering the question of what is a VIABLE solution to get in more money without creating more debt or spending more money, other than a tariff increase?
 
N@t3 said:
Recover the looted billions first. Take everything even they sperm/eggs.
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And how is that currently working out?
The money is gone, they are never going to get it back and it would be silly to believe Eskom could.

The FBI cant even get their hands on the Guptas and we can't even get them back here with a signed extradition treaty. Now do you really think Eskom is ever going to be able to get their money back from laundered bank accounts around the world, when they can't even get money out of a guy in south africa who isn't paying his electricity bill? Highly unlikely.

It's easy to say they must recover the stolen billions, but that's exactly what it is, it's stolen, gone, not there anymore, they won't ever see that money again or be able to recover it, this is not a realistic or viable option.
 
Murmaider said:
Please can you point out where I said this? I have already stated that I am against the increase and that I'm genuinely asking what is a viable alternative to the tax payer paying for all of this and here you come along with your dumb ass response about me not minding paying for theft and corruption. Well done guy
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Are you completely mad? You clearly state that there is no alternative but to just increase like they want. No wonder SA is so broken when people think that instead of fixing problems we should just pay more indefinitely. HERE IS THE ALTERNATIVE: ESKOM GO FIX THEIR **** AND STOP INCREASING PRICES BECAUSE THEY DON`T FIX THEIR ****! If they get the increase they will just continue on the path that got us into this mess.
 
Murmaider said:
How do they go about policing the people who haven't paid.
I mean you going to need a hell of a people on the ground to constantly connect / disconnect and enforce that someone who they have disconnected, hasn't just gone and reconnected or turned themselves back on (so staff salaries)? I mean they don't even have enough staff to police illegal connections, let alone all people who have accounts and don't pay the municipality.

In your 2nd point you speaking about turning off an entire municipality, how would you react if your municipality was shutoff by eskom, but you as an individual has paid your electricity account? Would you still stand by what you saying if it affected your municipality and you directly?

However this is still not answering the question of what is a VIABLE solution to get in more money without creating more debt or spending more money, other than a tariff increase?
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My municipality already shuts me off at times, despite me paying my bills in full every month.

They also cut me off if I don't pay or fall behind, so tell me how should I react to such blatant unequal treatment? In a democracy where we all have equal rights nogal.

If you really want a viable option, undo the abortion the ANC has presided over.. give Eskom & the muni's back to wypipo to run on merit, they'll be corruption-free and profitable in a few short years.

Unfortunately, we both know the people will continue to choose their corrupt leadahs who rob them blind, so everything will just continue on the same trend and collapse like everything in the rest of Africa.
 
Same kuk , different year. Like etolls, this kukka keeps on streaming. There must be another power provider.
 
Benedict A55h0le said:
Are you completely mad? You clearly state that there is no alternative but to just increase like they want. No wonder SA is so broken when people think that instead of fixing problems we should just pay more indefinitely. HERE IS THE ALTERNATIVE: ESKOM GO FIX THEIR **** AND STOP INCREASING PRICES BECAUSE THEY DON`T FIX THEIR ****! If they get the increase they will just continue on the path that got us into this mess.
Click to expand...

So either you believe one of two things:

1) That it's going to cost Eskom nothing (Free) in order to fix this mess
or
2) That Eskom, with all of its debt, actually has the money they require in order to fix this mess.

Both of those have been proved false many times now. The fact still remains that Eskom needs money in order to fix their mess. They got robbed blind, it's unrealistic to think they wouldn't need money.

Eskom (under André de Ruyter) has already started proving that they are turning Eskom around and that they are bringing down their debt, doing maintenance, weeding out corruption, doing upgrades, etc. Have they not?

To me, effort has and is being made to fix eskom, isn't this what we been asking for, yet you still angry with them?
Do you realise that 90% of the people that you angry with, the ones who caused this mess are no longer working at Eskom right?
The people who are there now are trying to fix Eskom after being handed a complete hospital pass and all you doing is just hating on them. what do you actually want guy?

Why don't you offer to go there and do a better job? I'm pretty sure they would greatly appreciate an upstanding individual such as yourself coming and showing them how to turn eskom around quicker with a zero percent increase.

The real question about the price increase is "how deep in the **** is Eskom actually?".

1) Do you believe Eskom is so broken and in the **** that they realistically need a 100% increase to fix this mess, but are only asking for 20%.

or

2) Do you believe Eskom only needs 2% and thumb sucked 20% because they actually not as bad off as everyone makes them out to be, their debt is under control and it's all just media hype. Eskom is fine, the power stations are fine and they just profit hungry.

Either Eskom is really broken and needs money, or they absolutely fine and just making up stuff ?
Which one is it?
 
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