The pain of tariff hikes

The Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) received yet another tariff increase, with households set to pay between 7.5 and 10 percent more for electricity, a commodity that has become as scarce as it is costly.

Over the years, electricity tariffs for households have risen from 25.3 thebe per kilowatt-hour to 70 thebe before the latest increases. And they are still not cost reflective, meaning the Corporation makes a loss every time it supplies a single unit of power.