City Power has no lawful tariffs but cuts power supply

City Power has no lawful tariffs but cuts power supply. Moneyweb, 5 December 2024.

Despite a court order that declared its electricity tariffs unlawful, the City of Johannesburg’s power utility City Power continued to threaten four large power users with disconnection due to non-payment of these tariffs.

The companies and their industry body – the Casting, Forging and Machining Cluster of South Africa (CFMC) – last week obtained an interdict to stop City Power from cutting their electricity supply.

MC Botha Inc. branches out to St Francis Bay

Specialist commercial law firm MC Botha Inc. has opened a branch office in St Francis Bay to extend their business-focused legal services to the Kouga region, including Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, Patensie, and surrounds.

Court rules City Power tariffs unlawful, set aside

Court rules City Power tariffs unlawful, set aside. Moneyweb, 28 November 2022.

MC Botha represented the Casting, Forging and Machining Cluster of South Africa (CFMC) and four individual businesses in a successful court application against Nersa, City Power and the City of Joburg on the basis that Nersa failed to assess City Power’s cost of supply when it determined their tariffs.

Wie gaan betaal vir daardie skuld, Eskom?

Wie gaan betaal vir daardie skuld, Eskom? (Who is going to pay for that debt, Eskom?). Rapport Sake, 20 November 2022.

Energy tariff expert MC Botha says time will tell if the costs of Eskom’s R9 billion World Bank loan to decommission and repurpose the Komati power station for renewable energy will be passed on to consumers in the form of increased electricity tariffs.

Komati’s R9bn World Bank loan gamble

Komati’s R9bn World Bank loan gamble. City Press, 20 November 2022.

MC Botha comments as an energy tariff expert on Eskom’s R9 billion from the World Bank to decommission the Komati power plant and convert it to delivering renewable energy. If Eskom plans to recover the loan costs from electricity consumers, it would need to adhere to electricity pricing policy guidelines and disclose the impact in public hearings, Botha said.

Municipal tariff methodology found to be wanting by the High Court

Municipal tariff methodology found to be wanting by the High Court. News24/UD Express, 27 October 2022.

The High Court delivered their judgement in favour of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber and the Pietermaritzburg and Midlands Chamber, which jointly filed papers earlier this year to legally challenge the National Energy Regulator’s municipal tariff methodology. MC Botha led the legal team that brought the application.

You will ‘no longer pay for stolen electricity’

You will ‘no longer pay for stolen electricity’. City Press, 23 October 2022.

“Energy regulator Nersa took another beating last week when the High Court in Pretoria found that the way in which it had been setting municipal power tariffs for the past decade was illegal and invalid.”

Business chambers to fight ‘illegal’ municipal power tariffs

Business chambers to fight ‘illegal’ municipal power tariffs. City Press, 16 January 2022.

A preview of the case led by MC Botha for the Pietermaritzburg and Midlands Chamber of Business, and Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, challenging the municipal electricity tariff calculation methodology which, we argued, unlawfully passes costs of municipal inefficiencies and preventable electricity losses on to consumers.

Chamber appoints new office bearers

Chamber appoints new office bearers. PE Express/News 24, 21 July 2021.

MC Botha re-elected as Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber vice-president.

Eskom drops tariff bombshell

Eskom drops tariff bombshell. City Press, 20 January 2020.

MC Botha comments on Eskom and Nersa differences in interpretation of electricity tariff methodology.