“That’s Insane”: Durban Man Worried About R1000 Increase in Utility Bills Sparking Nationwide Debate

• A Durban financial advisor shared his shock after discovering his monthly utility bills had jumped dramatically
• The content creator's detailed breakdown showed significant percentage increases across water, sewer, and electricity charges
• South Africans flooded his comments with similar experiences of unexplained bill increases

A Durban man's frustration with soaring utility costs has struck a nerve with South Africans across the country.

Content creator @davronchanderdeo, who regularly shares advice on wealth building, tax matters, and accounting tips, posted a viral TikTok video on 1 August 2025 that had thousands of viewers nodding in agreement.

The gentleman, known for helping people manage their finances and understand government bills, shared his monthly budget review with followers using the caption:

"Is it just mine? Or is it countrywide? 🥹🇿🇦😮‍💨"

In the video, he explained how he always compares his budget against actual expenses, but this month's utility bills left him stunned.

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The financial advisor broke down exactly what happened to his bills, even though his usage stayed the same. His water bill jumped from R27 to R30, marking an 8.65% increase. His sewer charges rose by 8.61%, and his electricity costs shot up by 10.9%. The total impact hit him hard. His combined utility bill increased by 25.49% in just one month.

He compared the situation to his own business, pointing out how unreasonable it would be to suddenly increase client prices by 25% without warning. His genuine concern about whether this was happening everywhere resonated with over 2,000 people who reacted to his video and more than 200 who left comments.

Utility bill increases worry South Africans

Social media users quickly confirmed that the Durban man's experience was far from unique, with many sharing their own billing nightmares.

@Nazreen Shaik sympathised:

"No, it's not only you... These utility bills are killing people. Some people don't know whether to buy food or pay the water and electricity bill."

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@Trashinka Smythe revealed:

"Lol! City of Joburg decided to bill me for 2600 units instead of 600 units. They tell everyone to pay while they investigate. The whole area was overcharged by 1000-2000 units."

@Rekha shared her shock:

"Huh, my water acc came to R9000. I always paid about R1000. I went to enquire and they said they can't do anything 😳"

@Taryn explained:

"We just moved into a bigger place, which has prepaid electricity. In 1 week we put in R1200, but in the other place, we used to use an average of R2800 a month."

@KSin complained:

"Currently paying 3k for electricity for 2 people. At work most of the time. Been told the body corporate puts a high markup on these bills. How is that fair?"

@Kenneth King Luther noted the irony:

"We disconnected a geyser in the house to save electricity, but the bill went up."

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South Africa's electricity costs keep skyrocketing

According to experts on the Meerkat site, South Africans are paying a lot more for electricity in 2025. Eskom’s prices went up by almost 13% in April, and people who get power through municipalities started paying more from July. For an average family that usually spends about R1,500 a month on electricity, the bill could now be around R175–R200 higher every month.

Watch the TikTok clip below:

Other stories about South African financial struggles

• Briefly News recently reported on a woman's monthly expenses breakdown that left South Africans stressed, but the hefty debt repayment amount in her budget revealed something scary about financial pressures.
• A local man's fury over paying R1.6K for just 414 units of electricity had SA enraged, but his description of who he considers the country's biggest enemies sparked heated debate.
• A Pretoria man shared devastating statistics about South Africa's crisis that left Mzansi angry, but the youth unemployment figures he revealed painted an even darker picture than expected.

Source: Briefly News