9% is today’s Number of the Day.
That is the average electricity tariff increase facing many South Africans as municipalities begin implementing new electricity rates from 01 July 2026.
Gareth Edwards and Francis Herd unpack why the number matters beyond the electricity bill.
Francis explains that Eskom’s tariff increases were allowed by Nersa, with direct customers already affected from April and municipal customers now starting to feel the increase from July. But the exact impact depends on where people live. Some municipalities are lower. Others are higher. Either way, many households should prepare for a bigger bill.
The conversation then widens into the real pressure point: electricity does not rise alone.
Water, refuse removal and other municipal charges are also increasing. In Johannesburg, Francis points to higher electricity, water and refuse costs, as well as a sharply rising water demand management levy.
Gareth then lands the everyday reality: when electricity goes up, other costs follow, but salaries and wages are not rising at the same pace.
That means households are being pushed into painful choices.
If people must pay for electricity and water, where do they start cutting? Food? Transport? Debt repayments?
Francis brings in the food basket pressure, noting that a basic basket for a small household is already around R5,500, which is more than many South Africans earn in a month.
The episode closes with the bigger Eskom question. Nersa understands households are buckling, but says the increases are tied to Eskom’s sustainability.
9%. A power bill increase. A household budget warning.
And a reminder that South Africans are paying now for years of mismanagement.
Catch up on all Number of the Day episodes here: https://www.enca.com/number-day-podcast
Chapters List
(00:00) 9% Is The Number
(00:08) Electricity Rates Are Going Up
(00:13) Petrol Down, Power Up
(00:29) Nersa Allows Eskom Hikes
(00:34) Municipal Increases Start From July
(00:43) Your Bill May Look Different
(00:51) 9% Is The Average
(01:15) Households Under Pressure Again
(01:33) It Is Not Just Electricity
(01:48) Salaries Are Not Following
(02:00) Joburg In Focus
(02:23) Electricity, Water And Refuse Increase
(02:35) The Water Levy Jump
(02:57) Fixed Charges Hit The Poor
(03:16) The Food Basket Survey
(03:57) What Do We Give Up?
(04:09) A R5,500 Food Basket
(04:36) Living On The Edge
(04:58) Cutbacks And Debt Spirals
(05:13) Inflation Expectations Rise
(05:36) Households Are Buckling
(05:46) Eskom Sustainability
(05:57) Years Of Mismanagement
(06:15) Why Pay More For Failing Infrastructure?
(06:24) 9% Lands Again
(06:30) Municipal Costs Rise From 1 July
