Uncooperative Governance: Nelson Mandela Bay Residents Confused and Frustrated by Electricity Rebate Glitches

Nelson Mandela Bay residents who were overcharged for electricity now face another problem: the rebates intended to correct those charges are arriving unevenly, or not at all.

The Gqeberha High Court ruled in August that the metro must return to its inclining block tariff and retrospectively repay affected customers from 1 July. Residents should therefore be paying the lower rate of R3.80 per kilowatt-hour, after the municipality had replaced the tariff with a flat rate of about R4.50.

But the system has produced different outcomes for different customers. As of 1 September, some prepaid-electricity users were still paying the flat rate. Others bought electricity at the reduced rate and received a free token as reimbursement, while some received no token. Customers using Wire-It also reported mixed results.

Daily Maverick understands that the municipality has processed rebate calculations only for purchases made between 1 and 31 July. Calculations for August 2026 had not yet been completed, adding to the confusion as residents compared purchase slips and found that people in similar situations had been treated differently.

DA Ward 7 councillor Brendon Pegram submitted formal questions to the municipality’s acting chief financial officer, Luyanda Ndeya, and acting city manager, Lonwabo Ngoqo, after receiving complaints. He said residents had contacted him with calls, messages and complaints about the different rates and missing tokens. Pegram also said he had spoken with officials in the Revenue Division and Budget and Treasury departments to establish what was happening.

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I have been inundated with calls, messages and complaints regarding the electricity tariff rebates, the different electricity rates being charged, and the free electricity tokens that qualifying customers are meant to receive. I fully understand the frustration and confusion being experienced by residents. The situation is unfortunately not straightforward, as different customers appear to be receiving different outcomes when purchasing electricity.