Civil rights organisation AfriForum has formally demanded that the Thaba Chweu Local Municipality and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) immediately rectify a controversial solar panel levy imposed on local households. In a formal legal letter issued to the municipality, the organization raised serious concerns regarding new charges appearing on residents’ monthly municipal accounts.
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The municipality has been charging a monthly fee of R582.64 on properties equipped with solar panels, enforcing the tariff even on homes that are completely disconnected from the municipal electricity grid. Describing the fee as an unlawful, irrational, and unreasonable tax on sunlight, AfriForum warned that it intends to approach the High Court for appropriate relief if municipal officials and NERSA fail to address the issue within ten days.
The formal legal demand follows an unanswered letter sent to the Thaba Chweu municipal manager on 20 July 2026. In that communication, AfriForum requested documentary proof confirming that the new electricity tariffs were established through a lawful and transparent public participation process. The organisation asked for official records, including the underlying cost-of-supply study, published public notices, formal council resolutions, written public comments, and documentation proving how those submissions were considered. The municipality’s total failure to respond or provide documentary evidence has raised serious concerns regarding the legality and administrative fairness of the adoption process.
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AfriForum District Coordinator for the Lowveld, Arlo van Heerden, highlighted that the legal action concerns fundamental principles of municipal governance, stating that local authorities may only levy tariffs that are rational, legally compliant, and properly approved. Van Heerden asserted that both Thaba Chweu and NERSA must account for these charges, particularly where residents who are completely disconnected from the electricity grid are expected to pay for a service they do not receive. Deidré Steffens, AfriForum’s advisor for local government affairs, added that obscure tariffs are becoming a nationwide trend as failing municipalities attempt to treat rate-paying residents as cash cows to make up for years of municipal debt, financial mismanagement, and administrative abuse without delivering any corresponding improvement in services.
The dispute in Thaba Chweu reflects a growing conflict between South African municipalities and residents who have invested in rooftop solar infrastructure to mitigate grid instability. AfriForum previously raised similar concerns regarding the Emfuleni Local Municipality, which attempted to introduce a one-off R2,400 solar registration fee alongside a monthly R463 fixed charge. Despite launching a public petition that quickly gathered nearly 1,000 signatures and submitting formal requests for regulatory clarification, Emfuleni officials similarly failed to provide a response. AfriForum reiterated that penalising residents simply for having solar panels installed on their roofs undermines private initiative and sets a dangerous administrative precedent across the country.
