How Eskom’s 16% hike affects you - Western Cape | IOL News | IOL.co.za

“Colleen Naidoo, below, who runs a foster home in Mitchells Plain, said the cost of electricity was definitely one of their biggest expenses as they spent at least R4 500 on prepaid electricity a month.

“We buy R300 electricity every two days. It is a lot of money, but it has to be done because we can’t go without lights and I am too scared to use candles,” she said.

Naidoo currently cares for 10 children and seven family members.

She said most of the things in her house required electricity.

“The fridges and washing machines are always on and I think that is what takes up the most electricity,” she said. “We bought a gas stove and I used that to cook things that take longer to try and save the electricity because we couldn’t cope with just the electricity.”