SOWETO'S ELECTRICITY ISSUE

Residents in Soweto have demanded that South African's electrical sector be overhauled, claiming that it is biased against the country's black working class. This is according to a new analysis from the Centre for Sociology Research and Practice (CSRP) on the country's energy racism. The CPRP is part of the University of Johannesburg's Department of Sociology (UJ). The study was done in the Soweto township and aimed to learn about the community's reactions, responses, and solutions to South African's issue. One of the main topics discussed was the cost of electricity and the possibility of introducing flat pricing. " They should stop placing pre-paid meters and provide us a flat fee", a resident suggested , adding that a monthly flat rate of R500 would suffice. 

They cautioned that this should not lead to a situation in which prices continue to rise. "It should not be case that I pay R500 this month, R800 next month , and more than R1000 the following month; that is very inappropriate". They stated, "You will see your bill is increasing. When it comes to revenue collection, other people have complained about Eskom's  "uncaring character". Eskom is attempting to repair its devices so that it can give electricity to the people and charge them for it," a local remarked, a resident said. Their life will go on as usual, and they are unconcerned about where we will find the money to pay for energy. They don't even want to know what's going on. If  Eskom is able to restore normalcy, it is just for the purpose of collecting money from the people.

The research also examines how the country's current electrical system discriminates against the black working class through load reduction technologies. In order to reduce the country's energy demands, Eskom implements load reduction in low-income areas. The report also shows how Eskom and the government neglect areas where the black working class lives when it comes to maintenance, service complaints, and reaction to repair callouts.