Sol Plaatje Municipality increasing electricity prices hitting small businesses hard: NOCCI

The Northern Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NOCCI) says electricity tariff hikes by the Sol Plaatje Municipality in Kimberley will hit the already struggling business sector hard.

The Sol Plaatje Municipality has increased tariffs by 15% from the 1st of July. There has been widespread resistance against the hike.

NOCCI laments that struggling businesses who cannot afford the hikes, will close down and jobs will be lost.

NOCCI CEO Sharon Steyn, “I specifically went there yesterday and I bought R500 just to test if it has already been put up. Before the increase if you bought R500 you will get 246 units, yesterday I bought 186 units. This is just R500, let’s go and take a normal SMME buy R300 electricity, what are they going to get. Remember the more you buy electricity the less you get. Not everybody can buy a R300 or R500 a week,” says Steyn.