Madam Deputy Speaker, Eskom's ever-increasing electricity tariffs are having an adverse effect on South Africans, especially the poor. Even though the National Energy Regulator of SA managed to grant a lower electricity tariff increase of only 25,9%, if that is lower, for 2012 than what Eskom at first applied for, the impact of additional tariff increases from other electricity providers such as municipalities are having far-reaching implications for the poor. The repeated increases in electricity costs have averaged over 25% per year since July 2008 and are rapidly making affordable housing in the Johannesburg inner city and elsewhere completely unaffordable.
Over each of the past four years, the additional increase, on top of the annual Eskom price increases, last year reached the ridiculous increase of 35% for residential properties. This meant that many tenants saw their monthly electricity bills increase by between R150 and R200 per month. Families are crippled by this and struggle to come out on their monthly earnings. While pay packets may have increased, electricity costs over the same period have tripled, far outweighing the earnings of many families. As a result of arrears and write-offs, vacancies have risen to uneconomic levels in the City of Johannesburg, or people move into overcrowded buildings. [Time expired.]