Joburg motorists brace for tougher month as fuel prices rise

TimesLIVE

a day ago

Motorists across Johannesburg woke up to steeper fuel prices on Wednesday, with the department of mineral and petroleum resources confirming a sharp increase in petrol and diesel costs driven by international oil prices and tensions in the Middle East.
Many petrol stations were quieter than usual on Wednesday morning, with most motorists coming in having no idea of the petrol price hike.
Some drivers who had heard about the increase on Tuesday had filled up before the increase, while others were caught off guard, with many expressing frustration and concern about how the price rise will affect their already tight monthly budgets.
Phumzile Chambers, one of the motorists caught off guard, did not know about the price hike until Wednesday morning, though she said you 'should expect anything in South Africa'.
'I was supposed to put in a full tank, now I'm only putting R700. That's already R100 more than last month. But I refuse to leave my car at home. I'll put R200 a day if I have to, but tell [President Cyril] Ramaphosa we are striking,' Chambers told TimesLIVE.
Enos Maake, filling up his car at an Astron Energy garage in Johannesburg, said the fuel hike reflects bigger issues with government.
Maake said things will only worsen as the petrol hike filters into food costs.
'We were told GNU would make things better, but it's the same story. The poor are going to feel it the most,' Maake said.
People might have to ditch their cars and take taxis as fuel prices are high, he added.
'I spend a lot on petrol because I drive a lot, so this month will be worse, that's why I might get a bicycle [or motorbike]. I'll be tired when I get home, less traffic anyway.'
Inside a taxi, Xoliswa Mabala said she has parked her car at home to save costs.
Mabala said the petrol hike will crush South Africans.
'We will have to park our cars and use taxis now. But then taxi prices will also go up. People relying on R350 grants won't cope,' she said.
Taxi drivers in Johannesburg, who fill up their tanks daily, have also balked at the hike.
'It will be as if we are working for nothing,' taxi driver Sibonise Sithole said.
Sithole also did not know about the hike, adding he puts in R500 worth of fuel every day and usually keeps his tank full.
Uber driver Ndivhuwo Mulaudzi has the same concern as minibus taxi drivers and other motorists. Mulaudzi told TimesLIVE that the price increase will make his life even harder as he is not making a profit as it is.
'Petrol is up and Uber prices are down. There's no profit. We can't sit at home doing nothing, so we just keep working,' said Mulaudzi.
Taheera Hamit luckily filled up her car earlier this week.
'There is nothing you can do to prepare. One day it's R22, the next it's R23. This will affect my budget massively as a car owner. You just have to squeeze it in. No more nice things, no more chocolates, the luxuries are gone,' Hamit told TimesLIVE during her lunch break.
The DMRE announced this week that the fuel price hike was based on global and local market conditions, particularly rising Brent Crude oil prices, which jumped from $63.95 to $69.36 a barrel during the review period.
Tensions in the Middle East, especially between Iran and Israel, have increased fears of supply disruptions. The international price of petroleum products followed the same upward trend, pushing the basic price of petrol up by as much as 52c per litre.
Though the rand appreciated slightly against the US dollar during the period, this wasn't enough to offset the rise.
From Wednesday, the fuel price adjustments are:
Petrol 93: up by 55c/ l
Petrol 95: up by 52c/ l
Diesel 0.05%: up by 82c/ l
Diesel 0.005%: up by 84c/ l
Illuminating paraffin: up by 67c/ l
The maximum retail price of liquefied petroleum gas is down by 57c per kg countrywide, except in the Western Cape, where it increased by R1.90/kg due to import costs through Saldanha Bay.
With the cost of living already on the rise, many Joburg residents said they will be forced to make tough decisions this month, whether that means cutting luxuries, changing transport methods, or simply walking to work.