Another fuel hike to hit SA motorists

South African motorists will not get any relief tomorrow when April’s fuel prices will rise for the third consecutive month.

Tomorrow fuel prices will increase as follows:

Petrol 93: 65c per litre

Petrol 95: 67c per litre

Diesel 0.05%: 3c per litre

The price of diesel 0.005% will decrease by 2c per litre, as will the price of illuminating paraffin (29c per litre decrease) and LP gas (19c per kg decrease).

The department of mineral resources and energy issued its monthly statement last week about the April fuel price adjustment just as many South African motorists took to the roads for the Easter long weekend.

The department says the petrol price increases can be attributed to the higher Brent Crude oil price which was up from $82.50 (about R1 556) to $84.22 a barrel in the period under review.

The main contributing factors to a rise in oil prices are the continued cuts from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries which could impact supply.

The department emphasised that the fuel levy and the Road Accident Fund levy would stay the same, as previously communicated during Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s budget speech in February.

The carbon fuel levy rose by 1c a litre for petrol and diesel. So the fuel levy on petrol and diesel will increase to 396c a litre and 384c a litre, respectively.

The fuel price increases are likely to fuel inflation as SA’s inflation rate hit a four-month high in February.

The drop in the 0.005% diesel, paraffin and gas prices was due to the onset of warmer weather in the northern hemisphere and a subsequent lower demand for these fuels. –