Ensuring affordable electricity as a vital socio-economic right in South Africa
-
DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.15(3-2).2017.03
-
Article InfoVolume 15 2017, Issue #3, pp. 334-342
- 798 Views
-
178 Downloads
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This article examines the socio-economic impacts and effects of unlawful electricity tariff increase in South Africa. Access to electricity is a vital socio-economic right in South Africa because of its intrinsic role in the fulfilment of other social economic rights. The availability and accessibility of electricity guarantees the success of many businesses and the survival of many households, particularly the rural poor. Eskom, a governmental parastatal, generates, transmits and distributes electricity for the people, and charges for these services are rendered based on the tariff approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA). Recently, NERSA decided to approve tariff increase requested by Eskom which was against the Electricity Regulation Act 4 of 2006 and the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996. This increase was contested and nullified in court. If this tariff increase had not been challenged in the court, it would have had a devastating impact on the well-being of the people, particularly the poor. Using literature relevant to socio-economic rights to modern energy, particularly electricity, this article accentuates that electricity is a basic socio-economic right in South Africa that must be accessible and affordable to all. It explains the importance of judicial intervention in ensuring that socio-economic rights are made available and accessible to the people. It points out that the court will not hesitate in using its judicial power to extend any opportunity which allows poor people to access and enjoy right to modern energy and electricity and other socio-economic rights in South Africa.
- Keywords
-
JEL Classification (Paper profile tab)N57, K14, O13
-
References36
-
Tables0
-
Figures0
-
- Barnes, D. F., & Floor, W. M. (1996). Rural energy in developing countries: A challenge for economic development.
- Brew-Hammond, A. (2010). Energy access in Africa: Challenges ahead. Energy Policy, 38(5), 2291-2301.
- Cabraal, R. A., Barnes, D. F., &. Agarwal, S. G. (2005). Productive uses of energy for rural development.
- Carolan, E. (2009). The new separation of powers: A theory for the modern state.
- Clark, A. (2000). Demand-side management investment in South Africa: barriers and possible solutions for new power sector contexts. Energy for Sustainable Development, 4(4), 27-35.
- Duflo, E. (2012). Women empowerment and economic development. Journal of Economic Literature, 50(4), 1051-1079.
- Gaunt, C. T. (2003). Electrification technology and processes to meet economic and social objectives in Southern Africa.
- Gaunt, C. T. (2005). Meeting electrification’s social objectives in South Africa, and implications for developing countries. Energy Policy, 33(10), 1309-1317.
- Gaunt, C. T. (2008). Electricity distribution industry restructuring in South Africa: A case study. Energy policy, 36(9), 3448-3459.
- Hart, G. P. (2002). Disabling globalization: Places of power in post-apartheid South Africa.
- Inglesi-Lotz, R., & Blignaut, J. N. (2011). Estimating the price elasticity of demand for electricity by sector in South Africa.
- Kanagawa, M., & Toshihiki, N. (2008). Assessment of access to electricity and the socio-economic impacts in rural areas of developing countries. Energy Policy, 36(6), 2016-2029.
- Kende, M. S. (2003). The South African Constitutional Court’s Construction of Socio-Economic Rights: A Response to Critics.
- Khosla, S. (2013). Human Rights and Judicial Activism in India.
- Khoza, S. (2007). Socio-economic rights in South Africa: A resource book.
- Labuschagne, P. (2013). Legislative Immobility And Judicial Activism: The Impact on the separation of powers in South Africa.
- Leal, S. T. (2016). Constitutional scapegoat: the dialectic between happiness and apartheid in South Africa.
- Liebenberg, S. (2002). South Africa’s evolving jurisprudence on socio-economic rights: An effective tool in challenging poverty.
- Lloyd, P., Cowan, B., & Mohlakoana, N. (2004). Improving access to electricity and stimulation of economic growth and social upliftment.
- Loertscher, D. V. (2002). Building knowledge-rich environments for youth: A world-wide challenge for schools and school librarians.
- Mabaso, S., & Karodia, A. M. (2014). An evaluation of factors leading to disequilibrium of electricity demand and supply in Gauteng province.
- Maharaj, R. O. (2012). Eskom: the making, unmaking and remaking of an institution-a case study.
- Malzbender, D. (2005). Domestic electricity provision in the democratic South Africa.
- Mojapelo, J. P. M. (2013). Separation of Powers: A South African Perspective.
- Moller, V. (2007). Quality of life in South Africa – the first ten years of democracy. Social indicators research, 81(2), 181-201.
- Montmasson-Clair, G., & Ryan, G. (2014). Repositioning Electricity Planning at the Core: An Evaluation of South Africa’s Integrated Resource Plan.
- O’Donnell, G. A. (1998). Horizontal accountability in new democracies.
- Pieterse, M. (2004). Coming to terms with judicial enforcement of socio-economic rights.
- Ravallion, M. (1996). Issues in measuring and modeling poverty.
- Rodriguez-Garavito, C. (2010). Beyond the courtroom: The impact of judicial activism on socioeconomic rights in Latin America.
- Sunstein, C. R. (2001). Social and Economic Rights? Lessons from South Africa (May 2001) (U of Chicago, Public Law Working Paper No. 12; U Chicago Law & Economics, Olin Working Paper No. 124).
- Tinto, E. S. (2001). Restructuring South African electricity supply industry.
- Tully, S. R. (2005). The Contribution of Human Rights to Universal Energy Access.
- van Vuuren, D. P., Nakicenovic, N., Riahi, K., Brew-Hammond, A., Kammen, D., Modi, V., Nilsson, M., & Smith, K. R. (2012). An energy vision: the transformation towards sustainability – interconnected challenges and solutions.
- Van Wyk, D. (2016). Checking the cost of trade: Electricity tariffs in South Africa under judicial scrutiny.
- Zins, J. E., Bloodworth, M. R., Weissberg, R. P., & Walberg, H. J. (2004). The scientific base linking social and emotional learning to school success.