Incoming from [redacted], questioning “Real?”.
No. Not really real. But really old.
Subject: ESKOM INCREASE – URGENT PETITION before 19th July
ESKOM TARIFF INCREASE:
Apparently it will be 45% increase each year for 3 years, totalling 135% over 3 years. It has already been increased by about 100%.
I don’t know about you but I certainly can’t afford to have any more of my hard earned money ploughed into Eskom’s mistakes and poor management. We have to try and fight this.
TAKE NOTE, ESKOM HAS STOPPED LOAD SHEDDING UNTIL AFTER THE RATE HIKE COMES IN…..SO THAT WE CAN ACCEPT THE HIKE…..WITHOUT TOO MUCH MOANING
We have until the 19th to petition and there has been a poor response.
PETITION AGAINST ESKOM’S ELECTRICITY RATE HIKE OF 53 %. PEOPLE, PLEASE! WE HAVE TO STAND TOGETHER (IF ONLY THIS ONCE) ON THE ESKOM ISSUE. IT IS HIGH TIME WE STAND UP FOR WHAT WE WORK SO HARD FOR. DON’T BE PASSIVE – ADD YOUR NAME TO THIS LIST AND SEND IT ON
The latest is that Eskom is going to raise our electricity rates by 53%, and most of us think that it is unfair and outrageous! Why should we pay for their mistakes? Time is running out and we need to move fast!
Every 500th person must please CC to CEO of Eskom. This e-mail has a table for 1000 names, starting with 1001 and ending with 2000. Font is set to use capitals so just type in your name at the next open number. The persons against numbers 1500 and 2000 must CC to CEO of Eskom address is on the next line – do a copy and paste into the To window
thulani.gcabashe@eskom.co.za <mailto:thulani.gcabashe@eskom.co.za>
Where to begin? Some mathematics, I think:
45% + 45% +45% isn’t 135%. You don’t just add them together, you know? But if your rudimentary calculations were correct and it has already increased by 100%, then we only have another 35% to go. Happy days.
And then, when the emotional appeal about your meagre salary gets too much, you HIT THE CAPS LOCK AND MAKE IT LOOK LIKE ESKOM HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAGIC UP SOME ELECTRICITY FROM THIN AIR SO THAT THERE’S NO MORE LOAD SHEDDING!
Is it still not working? People still aren’t interested?
Then add another 8% to Eskom’s demands in the next paragraph. USE CAPITALS AGAIN!
And then, when you’ve wasted your time reading this, and putting your name and that of your spouse, your kids, your dog, Doreen from the cubicle next door and two random fictitious characters into the table, make sure you forward it to everyone you know.
I really wouldn’t include Thulane Gcabashe though. He left Eskom over 4 years ago.
Sigh. Petitions. Make people think they’re actually doing something useful.
T > To be fair, online and email petitions do often work though.
Not to mention that if you’re to believe this, SA’s electricity is still relatively cheap, after the increases. The average for the countries surveyed there is 17.9c (USD) per kWh, with us sitting at 17.1.
Plus there’s the small fact that Eskom never got the 45% per year, or the 35% per year they asked for afterwards, and eventually were allowed 25% for a few years.
The scary part is that when you add all those 25%’s up, and include the next couple that are still coming, you get to something that is closer to 500% than 135%…
But as I’ve said before to some people, it’s not the level of tariff that’s the problem so much, it’s the rate of change that’s dragged people into problems. But at least we’re not alone in that, if I read correctly the other day the UK is also getting increases of around 20% per year at the moment…for much the same reasons as we are (well, the ultimate goal for the money is the same, if not the reasons why the increases are suddenly needed).
I reckon people would have less issue with the increases if it weren’t for those pesky ridiculous raises the top brass are getting. It’s a curious case of them saying that they need more money to implement necessary plans and yet throwing money at people who apparently do nothing but tell the people who pay for their service to please not use it too much.
Jacques > I do believe that. We were paying next to nothing for our power for years and years and years.
Gary > Your maths are good. And it’s to your credit. And yes – the UK has been hit with some MONSTROUS raises over the last decade. We are not alone.
T > Ja, but see… I don’t disagree with this year’s raises. Well deserved for a team that has turned the company round.
Given what I do, if my maths was bad we’d be in a right amount of the usually brown stinky stuff!!
Also, the so-called huge increases and bonuses these guys get are but a tiny drop in the ocean for a budget the size of Eskoms. It’s kind of like denying your kids an extra 5c out of your salary for doing their jobs.
As for whether or not they’re deserved, well, that can be debated. In truth it all comes down to what the criteria is that is laid down in their employment contracts. As my former boss used to say, the worst thing this country ever did was make senior execs sign 5 year contracts. It’s relatively easy to achieve a goal in 5 years if you don’t have to worry about what happens in year 6…
Tiny drop in the ocean of their budget or not, to many people who can barely afford to live as it is at the moment, trying to justify charging them even more for electricity whilst giving a raise of millions to a suit is really going to prove difficult. That 5c means a lot to many people.
It may even be deserved but surely then a deserved raise would be 10 or perhaps even 20%, but 100% in some cases (*cough* and 500%) ? That’s ridonkulous.
Who got 500%? No one I know of.
What did happen is someone without a financial hair on their heads saw a salary for a part of the year, and then compared it to the salary for a full year, and then claimed a massive increase was given. But that was shoddy reporting, not actual fact.
Alrighty, forgive me for not being interested enough to follow up on the 500% statement that was made. But has there been a release of actual figures regarding the percentage increases they did actually receive? If not maybe we should ask some of those peeps you know.
If the figures are perfectly reasonable, I’ll retract what I said about it being ridonkulous, if not, then I can understand why many people are upset about seeing an increase in their cost of living. I don’t necessarily agree with them compiling silly petitions filled with such emotive language that Oprah wouldn’t be able to take it seriously, but I certainly understand.
Gary > That 507% figure was because of a rather embarrassing mistake by a DA MP: http://www.leadershiponline.co.za/articles/other/1410-eskom-strike .
Why thank you sir, I shall retract my ridonkulous statement: “those executives who were in place throughout both financial years saw their pay packages increase by an average of five percent or less.”
Crisis averted. Can we all hug now?
T, Gary et al > *hugs*