Soweto residents who attended today’s public hearing on the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill have called on Parliament to ensure harsher sentences for people found guilty of cable theft. They also want the owners of scrapyards who buy the cables to serve prison terms.
The residents are of the opinion that harsher prison sentences will deter criminals from targeting electricity infrastructure in their townships. Although many residents complained that they were not provided with sufficient information and education to participate effectively at the public hearings, others thanked the committee for providing them with an opportunity to participate in this important consultative law-making process.
They suggested that the Bill would open the energy market to allow competition for Eskom, which in turn could result in cheaper electricity. This, they argued, would benefit all South Africans, who were currently being abused by the state-owned enterprise.
Several residents indicated that although the proposed amendments were good and would improve the Bill, that they could not support it as they had been without electricity for almost six years. They also expressed their displeasure that both Eskom and the National Energy Regulator of SA were not present at the hearing.
Both those who supported and opposed the Bill concurred that more competition for Eskom would result in cheaper pricing in the long term.
The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Sahlulele Luzipo, thanked the residents for participating but cautioned that the committee would not return to provide feedback as requested by residents. “There is a difference between law-making and oversight. During public hearings, we say here is the law. Are you happy with it or do you want to propose how we can amend it?” said Mr Luzipo.
He assured the participants that the committee will consider all the inputs it received from the people after it has reached all the provinces and it will submit its report on the Bill to the National Assembly for its consideration and to the National Council of Provinces.
The Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill seeks to Amend the Electricity Regulation Act of 2006 (Act No. 4 of 2006). Its main purpose is to amend the Act to improve the administration of the Act; to provide for additional electricity, new generation capacity and electricity infrastructure; and to provide for the establishment, duties, powers, and functions of the Transmission System Operator SOC Ltd. It will also provide for an open market platform that will allow for competitive electricity pricing and trading.
Tomorrow the committee will host its third public hearings at the Actonville Community Hall in Benoni.