AfriForum says court ruling rejecting Eskom, NERSA tariff deal a win for households

Lobby group AfriForum said that a court ruling rejecting a tariff deal between Eskom and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) is a victory for households.

This, after the Pretoria High Court gave a thumbs down to the power utility and energy regulator’s bid to settle their tariff dispute behind closed doors.

The settlement would have allowed Eskom to recover at least R54 billion from electricity consumers through substantial tariff increases.

ALSO READ: Court rejects Eskom and NERSA’s R54 billion closed-door settlement

Earlier in 2025, NERSA admitted to a multi-billion-rand error in calculating electricity tariffs.

If the court had ruled in Eskom and NERSA’s favour, households would have faced an 8% tariff increase in the 2026/7 and another hike now.

AfriForum, which intervened in the matter in October, said that NERSA and Eskom are not above the law and must be held accountable for their shortcoming.

“AfriForum will continue to act as a watchdog to ensure that South Africans are not forced to pay the price for regulatory failure,” said the lobby group’s Morné Mostert.