Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Retief Odendaal MPL
- High Court orders NMB Municipality to reinstate Inclining Block Tariff for domestic electricity customers.
- We set out to interdict what we deemed to be unlawful electricity hikes as a result of fundamentally flawed public participation processes.
- The DA exposed this abuse of power, challenged it, and defeated it through the courts.
Today’s Gqeberha High Court order in the Democratic Alliance’s fight against the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s backbreaking electricity tariff hikes, is a victory for the long-suffering residents of this Metro.
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The DA set out to interdict what we deemed to be unlawful electricity hikes as a result of fundamentally flawed public participation processes.
The High Court has granted an order that the Municipality has to reinstate the Inclining Block Tariff for domestic electricity customers for the 2026/27 financial year.
The ANC/EFF-led coalition of chaos government’s decision to abolish the Inclining Block Tariff resulted in a substantial increase of up to 30% for many households, particularly households using less than 300 kWh per month.
The order directs the Metro to incorporate in the electricity tariff applicable to domestic consumers for the 2026/2027 financial year, the Inclining Block Tariff which had been applicable to such consumers during the 2025/2026 financial year.
The DA has forced the Municipality to change the tariffs within 30 days, and to get NERSA’s agreement. The DA’s victory also means that tariffs which were previously applied from 1 July 2026 will be changed, and backdated on future bills residents receive. In many cases the DA’s victory means residents will see credits on their bills from the Municipality.
This court order demonstrates the vital role of a strong opposition. The DA exposed this abuse of power, challenged it, and ultimately defeated it through the courts.
The uncaring ANC/EFF government chose to recover additional revenue from paying customers instead of addressing the financial and operational failures within its bankrupt Electricity and Energy Directorate, which recorded losses of R1.5 billion in the last audited financial year.
The DA will never stop fighting for residents who are being forced to carry the cost of electricity losses, poor financial management, inadequate maintenance and years of mismanagement by the ANC/EFF coalition.
On 4 November, residents can unite behind the DA and vote for a government that will provide affordable electricity, clean governance, accountability and service delivery so that we can get Nelson Mandela Bay working again.