City’s threat of fines is likely to backfire

THE Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry can understand why the Cape Town electricity department needs to know about rooftop solar panels that are tied to the grid, but there is no reason for the city’s heavy-handed approach and threat of huge fines.

People who invest in solar tend to be informed and responsible citizens and they should be treated as such. The city is not dealing with delinquents.

Fines of more than R6000 unless the panels were registered by the end of February were excessive and should not be necessary, while the threat to disconnect supplies was over the top.

It’s time the city learnt that incentives work better than fines. It should be carrots first and the stick only if the incentives don’t work.

The city initially adopted an enlightened approach to solar and understood that the whole electricity industry was changing. Its policy was based on keeping consumers tied to the grid because it did not want to lose them as customers.

But now we have threats. It is bad public relations and is likely to anger many people. The result will be that many people will decide to go off the grid and the city will lose out.

The fine was excessive as were the proposed charges for water during the drought.

The city’s answer to every problem seems to be to find new ways to extract money from its citizens. It is time it found ways to reduce its own costs.