The Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Monday its latest court application seeks to force the National Electricity Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to re-evaluate its electricity tariff increase, and ensure that public participation is undertaken to provide crucial data on the impact of the proposed tariff increase.

The party took government to court over loadshedding and the “unaffordable” electricity tariff hike of over 30%.

The DA's court papers argued that Nersa misinterpreted Section 15 (1) (e) of the Electricity Regulation Act, and did not take public participation into account when the Multi-Year Price Determination (MYPD) was undertaken.

DA Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille noted that the party was seeking to have the MYPD decision declared invalid and suspended, and that it was giving Nersa six months to remedy the situation.

She said the ongoing electricity crisis was wreaking havoc on the country’s economy, with Stage 6 loadshedding alone costing the nation a staggering R900-million daily.

Nersa has granted Eskom a 31.4% electricity tariff hike over the next two years. Zille said this meant that South Africans were forced to pay much more for electricity at a time when millions were unemployed as a result of loadshedding.

“This dire situation cannot be allowed to continue. We extend an invitation to all South Africans to join our mission to protect our fellow citizens from skyrocketing electricity prices. Together, we can make a difference and ensure that the ANC's [African National Congress’] failures no longer burden the people of South Africa,” she said.

Zille blamed the ANC government for the energy crisis through its failure to plan, take expert advice, or take action to meet the country's electricity needs, compounded by extreme corruption and administrative failure.

This had violated most of the provisions in the Constitution's Bill of Rights, she added.

“We seek a declaration from the court confirming that this failure is due to government and State failure, which failed to take responsibility for defending constitutional rights. This failure is inconsistent with the Constitution,” she said.

Zille highlighted that once such a court declaration had been made, the party sought the appointment of a Special Master to oversee, regulate, monitor, and report to the Court on the government's progress in implementing the Energy Action Plan that is supposed to deal with the crisis and related issues.

“This independent Special Master must have the necessary expertise to evaluate the situation, monitor and report accurately, enabling South Africans to know what is going on, and what they can expect, and plan accordingly,” she said.