Pretoria - Sparks flew at an electricity conference on proposed tariff hikes on Thursday, with economist Mike Schüssler confronting a senior Eskom manager on his claim that its prices were "really" not that expensive.
Schüssler took the stand and questioned numbers presented by Eskom chief officer for generation Brian Dames. He then accused the government of "wanting to be in this Marxist, socialist kak" by providing free electricity to the poor.
Schüssler's emotional presentation came after Dames addressed a packed room at a Pretoria conference on proposed electricity tariff hikes, organised by Solidarity.
Dames defended Eskom's controversial tariff hike application to the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) for a 35% annual increase for the next three years, saying it "really" only amounted to a 16 cents per kwH increase per year.
Also, the increase in contributions would fund its capital expenditure programme, said Dames, adding: "The existing business of Eskom will really be increasing pretty much in line with inflation levels."
But Schüssler's told the audience he did not know where Dames got his figures from and reiterated an earlier statement that South Africa was headed towards having the most expensive electricity in the world.
He lamented the fact that industry players in South Africa paid much lower rates than consumers.
'Tortured middle class'
"The problem is, we give the biggest discount in the world to industrial users... Why come to the rest of us, in our middle class homes, and torture us to death with these increases? And you keep saying to us that we have cheap electricity prices, which is not the truth," said Schüssler.
Using some more obscene language, Schüssler told Dames that Eskom wouldn't have a need for financing if it didn't offer industrial discounts.
Schüssler also criticised the fact that electricity was free for poor households.
"But government doesn't think that way. They want to be in this Marxist, socialist kak."
To make matters worse, 6% of electricity in the country was stolen. "That is not fair," he complained.
Nothing personal
At the end of his presentation, to which the audience clapped loudly, a middle-aged, bespectacled man jumped up with his hand in the air.
"Mr Facilitator, can we please control our language," he said angrily. Facilitator Chris Yelland replied: "Things are getting hot, guys," before quickly introducing the next speaker, energy expert Andrew Kenny.
At the start of his presentation, Kenny warned he was going to criticise Eskom, but emphasised that it was nothing personal against Dames, adding that Dames would get his vote to become Eskom's new CEO.
Kenny then moved on and likened Eskom to a headless chicken.
"It has gone in no direction at all, like a headless chicken," he said, launching into pie charts and figures to prove his point.
- Sapa