Electricity price increases July 2026: JHB, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria rates

Summary: what changes on 1 July 2026

All rates VAT inclusive. JHB and Pretoria figures are approximate pending final gazette. Cape Town and Durban from approved municipal tariff schedules.

Cape Town: the biggest shock is the fixed charge

Cape Town's energy rate increase of 12.65% is the steepest of the four metros, but the headline number is the fixed charge. Home User accounts will see their monthly service charge jump 40% from R303.04 to R424.30. This is not consumption-linked - it applies regardless of how much electricity you use. A household that barely uses electricity still faces an extra R121/month.

Cape Town is also introducing a new time-of-use tariff. Under this optional structure, peak winter rates can reach R8.98/kWh - roughly three times the base rate. Off-peak rates are lower, so households with smart meters and flexibility (geysers on timers, EV charging overnight) can potentially save. The standard blocks-based tariff remains available for households that do not opt in.

Johannesburg: prepaid costs more across every block

City Power's July 2026 schedule applies an approximately 9% increase across all consumption blocks for residential prepaid customers. Higher-use households on blocks 2 and 3 see the same percentage increase, which in rand terms is a bigger hit per kWh.

• Block 1 (0-350 kWh/month): ~R3.06 to ~R3.34/kWh
• Block 2 (350-500 kWh/month): ~R3.51 to ~R3.83/kWh
• Block 3 (above 500 kWh/month): ~R4.00 to ~R4.36/kWh
• Prepaid fixed charge: R230 to R241.50/month

Use the City Power calculator to see your monthly cost under the new rates.

Durban: highest variable rate of the four metros

eThekwini charges a single flat energy rate with no consumption blocks - the simplest structure of the four cities. After the 10.5% increase, that rate moves from R3.77 to R4.17/kWh. No fixed monthly charge applies for residential customers, but the flat rate is now the highest variable energy rate of the four metros. A Durban household using 500 kWh/month will pay R2,085/month in energy alone from July 2026, versus R1,885 today.

Pretoria: first metro to breach R5/kWh on top tier

Tshwane's tariff structure applies 9% across all consumption blocks. For households in the highest usage tier (above 650 kWh/month), the rate is expected to exceed R5.12/kWh - making Pretoria the first of the four major metros to charge residents over R5 per kilowatt-hour on top-tier consumption.

What this means on a typical monthly bill

For a household using 400 kWh/month (roughly a two-bedroom flat with a geyser and no air conditioning):

• Cape Town: ~R1,192 before vs ~R1,372 after (energy only, excluding fixed charge increase)
• Johannesburg (City Power): ~R1,224 vs ~R1,334 per month
• Durban: ~R1,508 vs ~R1,668 per month
• Pretoria: varies by block - use the calculator for your specific usage

These are rough estimates. Your actual bill depends on consumption, meter type, and which block your usage falls into. Run the calculator with your numbers.

The bigger picture: how far SA electricity has risen

The July 2026 increases sit within a long pattern of above-inflation price growth. The average Eskom residential rate has risen from approximately 14c/kWh in 2000 to around 226c/kWh in 2026 - a 16-fold increase over 26 years, far outpacing CPI inflation over the same period. The rapid acceleration happened between 2008 and 2012 when Eskom began building Medupi and Kusile, with annual increases peaking at 31%.

See the full year-by-year chart at Eskom tariff history: every increase since 2000.

Why municipal tariffs are higher than Eskom's direct rate

Eskom's own residential tariff increased by 8.76% on 1 April 2026. Municipal rates typically go higher because municipalities buy electricity in bulk from Eskom at a wholesale rate and resell it at a markup that covers distribution infrastructure, billing, and in some cases cross-subsidises other services. The result is that City Power, Cape Town, eThekwini and Tshwane customers all pay more per kWh than Eskom direct customers, even after accounting for different usage profiles.