Mayor hails court order forcing Nersa to stick to strict, early tariff-decision deadlines. Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has welcomed a final North Gauteng High Court order that compels the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to make municipal electricity tariff decisions on time, ending years of late rulings that have disrupted municipal budgeting across the country. The court confirmed the City’s proposed timetable and declared Nersa’s public participation process for the 2025/26 municipal tariff applications invalid under section 172(1)(a) of the Constitution.
The ruling requires Nersa to inform municipalities of Eskom and other generator increases by January 31 each year, to consider and publish every municipality’s cost-of-supply study and tariff application for public participation, and to finalise all tariff decisions, with reasons by May 5. These deadlines reflect the City’s proposals during the AfriForum application and are now binding. Hill-Lewis said the decision ends the uncertainty that came with Nersa’s repeated delays.
“This final order makes it clear that Nersa cannot deviate from this court-ordered time table without approaching the courts for permission. “This is most welcome as it brings to an end Nersa’s delinquent handling of municipal tariff applications and the common practice of late decisions, without reasons, after the municipal financial year has already begun. “This has made a mockery of complex budget calculations and public participation, which are all complete by the time.
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