Who and what is AfriForum?

AfriForum is an Afrikaans civil rights organisation that protects the rights of minority groups at national as well as provincial level, and anyone who can identify with AfriForum’s principles and objectives may join the organisation. AfriForum’s community plan focuses on mobilising communities to thus take control of their own streets and neighbourhoods again. AfriForum ensures that your constitutional and civil rights are recognised and protected at national level.

Wie en wat is AfriForum?

AfriForum is ’n Afrikaanse burgerregteorganisasie wat die regte van minderheidsgroepe op sowel nasionale as provinsiale vlak beskerm, en enigiemand wat met AfriForum se beginsels en doelstellings kan identifiseer, mag by die organisasie aansluit. AfriForum se gemeenskapsplan fokus daarop om gemeenskappe te mobiliseer om só weer beheer terug te neem oor hul eie strate en woonbuurtes. AfriForum verseker dat jou grondwetlike én burgerregte op nasionale vlak erken en beskerm word.

Local Government Affairs Media statements | Media statements

Continued pressure helps Eskom change its tune on solar power registration

ByAfriForum 06/02/202606/02/2026

Deidré Steffens (English)

Eskom has confirmed that it does not intend to impose fines on consumers who choose not to register their alternative power sources, including solar power systems. This latest change of course follows continued pressure by AfriForum for Eskom to drop these unenforceable requirements. The civil rights organisation sent a legal letter to Eskom early last year questioning the so-called “mandatory” registration requirements due to a lack of legal basis.

Despite this, Eskom maintained that registration was mandatory and that all solar power systems had to be signed off by a professional engineer – a requirement that was widely criticised as impractical and unnecessary. Eskom further threatened consumers with fines if they did not comply with these unenforceable requirements. AfriForum argues that this action is more of a bullying tactic than responsible governance.

Eskom partially backtracked at the end of last year by admitting that an accredited electrician, not a professional engineer, is sufficient to sign off on a system. Now Eskom has also abandoned its last trump card – the threat of fines.

“AfriForum has highlighted from the beginning that the registration of small-scale embedded power generation systems, the requirements that go with it and the threat of fines, are being enforced by Eskom without any valid legal basis. Eskom simply does not have the proper policies or legal authority to make these registrations enforceable,” says Deidre Steffens, AfriForum’s Advisor for Local Government Affairs.

“If Eskom had a legal basis for these registrations, the power supplier would not have dropped the requirements and fines so abruptly. The reality is that Eskom knows that it is not enforceable and has therefore given in to the pressure placed on it by organisations such as AfriForum to drop the threat of imposing fines.”

As Eskom continues to insist on the registration of said systems, the civil rights organisation will continue to put pressure to ensure that the power utility has all the policies and legal aspects in place.