Steep price hikes at the pumps as official increases announced
Bad news as motorists are set to pay more at the pump from midnight on Tuesday.
According to the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources the price of petrol is set to rise between R3.12 and R3.33 per litre depending on the grade.
The price of diesel is expected to increase by between R2.84 and R3.24 per litre, while the price of illuminating paraffin is set to rise by R3.58 per litre.
The Department’s Lerato Ntsoko says the retail price of LP gas is expected to jump by 42-cent per kilogram and 48-cent per kilogram in the Western Cape.
Video: Motorists face record-high petrol and diesel prices this month
Meanwhile, The Democratic Alliance (DA) says government should find the fiscal space to cushion motorists from the fuel price increases. The party says available surpluses from entities including the Compensation Fund and Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA) could be used to provide relief, with diesel prioritized because of its knock-on effect on transport and food prices.
DA’s James Lorimer says South Africa also needs legislative changes to accelerate domestic fuel exploration and reduce its reliance on imported fuel.
“We would hope that government can find the fiscal space to provide relief from these fuel price rises. Earlier this year, we suggested several billion would be available from surpluses from things like the Compensation Fund and the SETAs. We suggest that any relief could be directed primarily to the diesel price, because it has such a big effect downstream on transport costs and thus food prices.”