GEORGE NEWS FLASH - A customer of George Municipality who buys prepaid electricity complained that Georgians pay much more to keep the lights on compared with residents in Roodepoort.
She realised how "cheap" Roodepoort residents' electricity was when she accompanied her daughter to buy electricity during a visit there in December.
"People in Roodepoort earn mega bucks while George salaries are lower and we have many pensioners," complained the reader.
The cost per prepaid unit in George for a non-indigent household is R1,72 per kW (VAT included).
According to the 2015/2016 tariff list for Johannesburg, they have a 'stepped' tariff that increases as consumption rises.
The tariff per kW is as follows: Up to 500kW costs R1,21 per kW (VAT included); 500-1 000kW - R1,37; 1 001-2 000kW - R1,45; 2001-3 000kW - R1,66; and more than 3000kW - R1,80.
Our neighbouring towns are not much cheaper than George: Mossel Bay: R1,65 per kW, Oudtshoorn: R1,66 per kW, and Riversdale: R1,50 per kW (R0,99 per unit, plus a day tariff of R12,40, all prices VAT included).
Knysna has yet to send its tariffs to the George Herald.
'Compare the package'
Chantel Edwards-Klose, George Municipality media liaison officer, explained that the cost of electricity between towns or cities cannot be compared simply by comparing the price paid for a certain purchase of electricity. "Each municipality sets its own tariffs depending on its mix of customers - business relative to residential, and then the split into indigents and non-indigents etc., and also its economy and the relative strengths of each sub-sector."
Read more in Thursday's George Herald, and online.
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