South Africa weighs raising free electricity from 50 to as much as 300 kWh a month
The proposal for poor households is not yet policy, the minister says, and many who qualify today don't get the benefit.
Cape Town — South Africa's government is considering raising Free Basic Electricity for qualifying low-income households from 50 kWh a month to between 200 and 300 kWh, the electricity and energy minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, told Parliament.
"This is a proposal for consideration and is not yet an implemented entitlement," he said in a written reply to IFP MP Nompumelelo Mhlongo.
Who would benefit
Ramokgopa said the number of households helped would depend on identifying and registering those eligible, and on how the change is funded and delivered. The proposal is part of a revised electricity pricing policy meant to better protect poor consumers.
The gap today
Only about 1.7 million of roughly 2.8 million households identified as indigent currently receive free basic electricity, according to data reported by the Cape Argus. The minister has blamed gaps in registering households, limited municipal capacity and inconsistent indigent registers, and said some municipalities divert Treasury allocations to other priorities.
Putting the change in place would need the energy department, National Treasury, the regulator Nersa and municipalities to work together on reaching the right households.
Source: Cape Argus / IOL, 30 October 2026.
