Consumers suffered a triple whammy this week, with stiff increases in electricity tariffs, the petrol price and no interest rate cut, the National Consumer Forum said on Friday.

"By far the worst of these three things was the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) granting Eskom a tariff increase of 31.3 percent," forum chairman Thami Bolani told Sapa.

"I am convinced that if Nersa had not permitted the hike, the Reserve Bank would have cut rates by 50 basis points," he said.

Nersa's decision put consumers in a tight corner.

"This will complicate matters for both consumers and small business."

Bolani said granting an increase of this size in the face of an economic recession and across-the-board public opposition was both callous and irresponsible.

"We cannot allow Eskom to go on raping us like this," he said, adding that the electricity supplier intended, in the near future, to demand yet another tariff hike.

Bolani said consumers would now face food price hikes, as higher costs would simply be transferred to them.

The forum understood the plight of farmers when it came to the electricity hike.

"We are holding a public meeting in Soweto on 25 July where we'll be discussing responses to Eskom's tariff hike," he said.

On Thursday, Nersa announced it had granted state-owned electricity provider Eskom a 31.3 percent tariff rise for the 2009/10 financial year.

This was just short of Eskom's request for a 34 percent tariff hike.

Also on Thursday, SA Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni said the bank's monetary policy committee had decided not to reduce the repo rate due to inflation concerns.

And on Friday, the Department of Minerals and Energy said the retail price of petrol would rise by 37 to 40 cents a litre next week, dealing the final of three blows to already cash-strapped and debt-burdened consumer.

In a statement, the Automobile Association (AA) said the latest petrol and diesel price increases would definitely touch the pockets of consumers and commuters alike.

"It is expected that taxi fares will also increase in line with the latest fuel increase," the AA said.

Sapa

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