Powerless is literally the word as consumers are held to ransom with loadshedding and still have to pay a high price for municipal electricity bills.
Most South African consumers were left without power for at least 30 hours this week yet the lack of electricity supply does not necessarily equate to a saving on your electricity bill.
Energy expert Chris Yelland explained that consumers receive an estimated bill. “So what happens is meters get read every third to sixth month, for example if in January you used a certain amount, the power supplier will estimate for February and March and send you the bill.
“By April they will just adjust your account accordingly if you paid too much. It would be such a joy to have them read it every month. But who dares to dispute it? You just get an instruction to pay or it will be taken up otherwise, if you don’t pay, you will be cut off.”
Yelland added that most of the time the power suppliers would also probably be estimating on the high side.
“But it is important to note that at the end of the months, they will reconcile.”
He said it works differently for prepaid customers though. “These people buy as they use, so there is no estimation.”
Frustrated owner of hairdresser Under the dryer with Kayleigh, Kayleigh Dolan, said her business was severely impacted.
“I already have to schedule around load shedding and while losing out on business. But I still have to find a way to pay for high electricity prices.
“I have to have sales to make up for lost business while still paying the same for electricity; it's ridiculous. Eskom is not only disrupting my business but my livelihood.”
Her worst fear was stage 8 load shedding. “I am already losing out on business, imagine what it would be like if we had to load shed for days on end, that means I will basically be unemployed,” she said.
Courtney Van der Vent, who is a mom, wife and a part time student writing online exams, said this round of load shedding had her stressed out.
Van der Vent said she was writing online assessments that required students to stay online during the test time.
“I’ve had two hours of load shedding for every one of my exams which meant I've had to spend money on data while I have uncapped wifi.
“A UPS or inverter is not financially possible at the moment. I’ve also had to study with a weak, back-up light at night,” she said.
She said preparing meals in between load shedding and spending extra money on food was another nightmare. “We are really on our own in this failing country.”
A pensioner couple who chose to remain anonymous, said their bill had not changed despite load shedding.
The couple said their electricity bill in June was as much as R600, while in July it was R589.
Gabriel Crouse, a policy analyst at the Institute of Race Relations, said they received multiple of reports of high bills and intermittent electricity.
“One would think if consumption was reduced, whether by load shedding or voluntarily, the price per unit should also go down, but we’ve received many reports of Eskom using a rough estimate, to work out what people should be paying.
“It is also usually the municipality or City Power that charges for electricity, so that very same people who we voted in are those who decides.”
Crouse said the only way to fight against these prices was to complain to local councillor.
“Active citizenship is important, we need to speak up, and keep on until the person eventually also gets tired of the complaining and does his or her work.”