Fuel hikes hit pumps nationwide: petrol up R3.12 a litre

Petrol 93 rose by R3.12 a litre and petrol 95 by R3.33 in the latest round of South Africa’s fuel-price adjustments, with diesel up by between R2.84 and R3.24 a litre. Illuminating paraffin climbed by R3.58 at wholesale level, its maximum retail price rising by R4.77, while LPGas increased by 42c/kg nationally and 48c/kg in the Western Cape. The practical question now is whether government will adjust the pricing system itself rather than rely on temporary fixes.

For millions of households, the effect is immediate. The journey to work, school, the shops or home now costs more, and something else in the household budget must give way.

The pricing structure itself is coming under scrutiny. ATM’s Vuyo Zungula has written to Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe calling for a fundamental review of how fuel is priced. “South Africans should not have to wait for another international crisis, another emergency allocation or another fuel-price shock before meaningful action is taken. We need permanent and sustainable solutions that protect consumers while strengthening the country’s energy security,” he wrote.

The record of past interventions shows how the relief mechanism has worked in practice. In April, government introduced a temporary R3-a-litre reduction in the general fuel levy after global oil prices surged amid the Middle East conflict. That relief was extended into June before being phased out. Prices also rose in April, May, June and September, although motorists received slight decreases in other months. With that temporary instrument now gone, unions, political parties and MPs are pushing again for measures to cushion consumers, including fuel-levy relief and changes to the pricing method.

Labour voices frame the delivery gap in terms of household survival. UASA spokesperson Abigail Moyo said workers were already struggling with unavoidable household expenses. “The cost of travelling to work, keeping the lights on and putting food on the table continues to escalate, leaving many households struggling to make ends meet,” she said, adding that government must act decisively and without delay, because waiting for the economic and social impact to become entrenched would only deepen the hardship experienced by millions of South Africans.

Riefdah Ajam, general secretary of the Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA), called for immediate relief, including a R3-a-litre fuel subsidy. “South Africans continue to carry an increasingly heavy financial burden with insufficient relief from government,” she said.

Meanwhile, the operational consequences of unaffordable transport are now measurable. New research by Ipsos, from its nationally representative Khayabus “Pulse of the People” study, found that 15% of South Africans aged 15 and older, about 6.9 million people, had at some point not gone to work, school, college or university because they could not afford transport. Ipsos South Africa country manager Natalie Otte said transport connects people to opportunity, and that when people cannot afford to travel they may be missing job opportunities, losing income, falling behind in their studies, and becoming further disconnected from economic participation.

The EFF urged government to provide relief, particularly for households reliant on paraffin, noting that fuel is not simply an expense for motorists but affects the price of food, public transport, goods and virtually every basic necessity.

The pattern across these calls is consistent. The temporary levy cut of April and June provided short-term relief but was phased out, and the pricing structure that produced the current increases remains unchanged. What happens next depends on whether the minister responds to the demand for a fundamental review, or whether consumers absorb another increase with no structural adjustment in place.