By: The Youth Voice Reporter

South Africans are heading for another electricity price shock  and this time, it’s official.

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) has approved an 8.76% electricity tariff increase starting in April, followed by a further 8.83% hike in April 2027.

This comes after a High Court ruling forced NERSA to revisit Eskom’s future electricity prices resulting in higher increases than originally planned.

Eskom was initially granted tariff hikes of 5.36% and 6.19% over the next two financial years. But after recalculating Eskom’s power generation assets and costs, NERSA approved significantly higher increases.

According to the regulator, the new tariffs were recalculated using its official pricing formula and based on information Eskom had already submitted. A public consultation process was also conducted.

To reduce the immediate impact on consumers, NERSA says the increases will be phased in, with no backdated charges and no retrospective increases for previous years.

NERSA argues the decision is necessary to keep Eskom financially sustainable while limiting sudden price shocks  but for households already under pressure, it means higher electricity bills are unavoidable.