ISITHEMBISO ESINGAGCINWANGA SOKWENZA UMBANE ONGABIZI MALI ENINZI KUMNTU WONKE

The document argues that the promise of affordable electricity for all in South Africa, established by the Energy Act of 1998, remains unfulfilled. It identifies two primary causes: the lack of a clear government definition for 'affordable energy' and the failure of municipalities to distribute Free Basic Electricity (FBE) grants to eligible low-income households. Research indicates a significant gap in 2019, where national budget support was provided for 9.8 million households to receive basic services, but only 2 million households actually received free basic electricity through their municipalities.

• Low-income households in South Africa spend a disproportionately high percentage of their income on electricity compared to wealthy households, with the poor spending up to 17 percent of their money on electricity.
• The government has failed to fulfill the goals of the Energy Act of 1998 because it never established a concrete definition or standard for what constitutes 'affordable energy' regarding the monthly amount a household should pay.
• The Free Basic Electricity (FBE) policy, introduced in 2003 to provide 50 kWh of free electricity per month, is poorly implemented; millions of eligible households do not receive the benefit due to registration barriers at the municipal level.
• In 2019, there was a massive discrepancy between national funding and actual delivery: while the national budget provided support for 9.8 million households to receive basic services, only 2 million households actually received free basic electricity from their municipalities.
• Approximately 2.5 million low-income households in South Africa are unable to access free electricity because they are not officially connected to the electrical grid.

APA

Ledger, T. (2021). ISITHEMBISO ESINGAGCINWANGA SOKWENZA UMBANE ONGABIZI MALI ENINZI KUMNTU WONKE. Public Affairs Research Institute. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/CBXhosaNew.pdf

Chicago

Ledger, Tracy. ISITHEMBISO ESINGAGCINWANGA SOKWENZA UMBANE ONGABIZI MALI ENINZI KUMNTU WONKE. Public Affairs Research Institute, 2021. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/CBXhosaNew.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ledger |first1=Tracy |title=ISITHEMBISO ESINGAGCINWANGA SOKWENZA UMBANE ONGABIZI MALI ENINZI KUMNTU WONKE |publisher=Public Affairs Research Institute |date=April 2021 |url=https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/CBXhosaNew.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ledger2021isithembiso, author = {Ledger, Tracy}, title = {{ISITHEMBISO ESINGAGCINWANGA SOKWENZA UMBANE ONGABIZI MALI ENINZI KUMNTU WONKE}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/CBXhosaNew.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }