An opposition candidate recently claimed Nigeria generates less electricity now than it did at the end of military rule. The ruling party challenged observers to check the facts. Africa Check did, and found he was wrong.
The Nigerian newspaper Vanguard recently reported that Nigeria’s electricity tariff is the “lowest in Africa”. Is this true? And can electricity tariffs be compared across African countries?
President Jacob Zuma claimed recently that more than a million South African households have been connected to electricity over the past five years. But, as Africa Check found, the source for the claim is unclear and numbers provided by different government departments vary significantly.
President Jacob Zuma gave the annual State of the Nation Address on Thursday night in Cape Town. We asked you to tell us which claims were the most significant and we fact-checked them. Some of them we are still checking. So how did he do?
Eskom CEO Brian Dames’ claim that annual rises of 16 percent in electricity tariffs will “not harm” the poor is wrong. The assistance proposed for the poorest will not shield them. Proportional to income, they will be hard hit.
The ANC-led government has certainly outperformed some governments in delivering public services to its people – but not all governments worldwide. Claims otherwise, from government and opposition, are stretching the facts.