Higher electricity connection fees in South Africa? A good, and necessary, next step

Protestors express their anger over continued power cuts in South Africa. Photo by Mujahid Safodien/AFP via Getty Images

There’s been outrage from some quarters in South Africa about reports that the power utility Eskom and some municipalities intend to increase the connection fee for electricity users who also generate their own power.

A number of commentators – including the executive director of the Presidential Climate Commission – have also criticised the idea even though Eskom has said that no such proposal has been tabled officially.