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Mayor of Cape Town Geordin Hill-Lewis must come clean on the City’s court case to charge Capetonians more for electricity.

The DA has not told residents about this litigation. It was revealed in a single paragraph of NERSA’s Reasons for Decision on the City’s 2026/27 tariff application, which the GOOD Party obtained through a PAIA request.    

The paragraph in question records that in 2025 the City “was aggrieved by NERSA’s decision to impose a 12.80% electricity tariff increase for the 2025/26 financial year as opposed to the City’s desired 14.50% increase”. NERSA states that it “has filed its record and is finalising its answering affidavit.”

Shockingly, instead of waiting for the court’s ruling, the City went ahead and charged residents extra, anyway. The City’s 2026/27 budget reveals that in 2025/26 it added an amount to the Council-approved portion of the electricity tariff “to compensate for the NERSA decision to reduce the City’s regulated tariffs”.   

The regulator said no, but the DA-led City charged residents, nonetheless.  

This is not the first time. Judgement is yet to be handed down in the City’s case against NERSA’s 2022/23 and 2023/24 tariff decisions. In both financial years the City went ahead and charged residents higher tariffs, anyway.

The law with respect to Nersa is clear that “the institution of review proceedings does not suspend the operation of the impugned decision.” The regulator’s decisions are the law until a court says otherwise. No court has said otherwise…

For the Mayor to vigorously beat the drum for affordability on the election campaign trail, while litigating for the right to charge higher electricity tariffs, is grossly dishonest.    

Besides wanting Capetonians to pay higher electricity tariffs than residents of any other South African City, Cape Town’s ratepayers are also paying the DA’s legal bills – on both sides of this fight. As ratepayers we fund the City’s lawyers, and as taxpayers we fund the regulator’s defence.

Hill-Lewis must explain the “benefits” to Capetonians.

1. When was this court case filed, and what exactly is the City asking the court to do?

2. How much extra money (on top of the approved tariffs) did the City collect from residents in 2025/26?

3. How much has this far been spent on legal fees in the City’s various litigations against NERSA?

4. Will the City refund residents the extra charges if it loses?

5. Why were residents not told of the litigation?

Families are already stretched to financial breaking point in Cape Town, which is the most expensive South African city to live in by far. 

The Mayor has had an awful lot to say about Cape Town’s grandiose plans to procure cheaper electricity, while quietly litigating to be able to charge more. 

“Emotional dissonance” is the psychological term for the tension that arises when a person’s outward expression conflicts with their true feelings. It’s the curse of many politicians who feel compelled to say things they don’t necessarily believe.

Issued by GOOD Secretary-General Brett Herron