Cost of living ‘killing’ residents
AS MOTORISTS in Kimberley rushed to petrol stations to fill up their tanks before the petrol price increase came into effect earlier this week, many indicated with a heavy heart that the fuel increase, along with constant load shedding, was making life a misery for them.
This follows the announcement by the Department of Minerals and Energy that the price of petrol would increase by R1.27 as from Wednesday, March 1, 2023.
City residents said that the ever-increasing cost of living was “killing” them.
One resident pointed out the basic necessities now come with a hefty price tag.
“We are caught in a web where one has to fight to make it. Everything is so expensive. We were so happy to hear about the announcement of the decrease in the petrol price, however, we are now hit with an increase that is three times the amount of the decrease. This is a vicious cycle. What is more frustrating is that none of us are getting any more money or richer in order not to be affected by such an increase. An increase in the petrol price always results in an increase in food prices,” she said.
Another resident shared the same sentiments. “We really cannot keep up with the demands of this country. There is constant load shedding and the price of electricity is already high. We just have to pay more and more for the basics. We will now see an increase in food prices, such as for maize meal and bread.
“Having take-aways or going to a restaurant has become very costly, not just for the cost of the food on the menu but the petrol one spends to drive to the place. I constantly monitor my car’s petrol tank as we only use the car when it is absolutely necessary.
“I have joined a small group of parents where we take turns dropping and picking our children up from school. School runs are also heavy on one's petrol tank.
“The cost of living has become ridiculous. We struggle just to be able to afford the basics,” she said.
Petrol station owners and managers in the city said they ensured that they had enough supply to provide motorists but that they are also feeling the pinch.
The driveway manager of Shell in Bultfontein Street, Sudwell Chabalala, said they normally expect an influx of motorists prior to an increase in the petrol price.
“We were very busy on Tuesday, which is wonderful for business. We sold more than 28 000 litres of petrol on that day and had to get another delivery of fuel again. Those litres are what we would usually sell over two to three days. Our head office usually calculates our consignments of supply. We do make the necessary arrangements to make sure we attend to the needs of our customers,” Chabalala said.
He added that the high cost of living has not only affected residents, but businesses are also fighting hard to keep their doors open.
“Everyone is going through very tough and trying times. With load shedding in the mix, even businesses are heavily affected. As a petrol station we cannot close or lose out on work for the hours when it is load shedding.
“We have a generator so we can operate during the hours when it is load shedding, but that is very costly and can also hamper the appliances. We need to keep the generators running during load shedding as we need to keep the freezers running and the lights on … There are some appliances that malfunction or at times one has to turn on manually when it is load shedding. To do this daily is very costly. The price of electricity is already high and then one needs to top-up with another costly resource just to keep the business running.”
The owner of the Engen garage in Schmidtsdrift Road, Johan Botha, said they also had many customers who filled up before the price increase.
“We usually make the necessary arrangements a few days before the petrol increase is in effect. We know people will always want to escape having to pay a few more rand before a petrol increase. However, we all have to later make peace with the new prince as a full tank does not last for ever. Filling up before an increase is just a consolation,” said Botha.
He added that they share the frustrations of their customers.
“We are at a time where all of us have to turn our pennies over two or three times. The cost of everything is very high. Businesses are doing their utmost to ensure they keep their staff employed and their businesses running. However, load shedding is making it impossible for some businesses. Businesses are not exempt from load shedding. I spend thousands of rand each month on the generator just to keep the flights on and the freezers running. We are holding on and hoping that things will get better soon.”
The manager of Shell in Long Street, Stephan van Niekerk, said that contrary to the belief that their supply was sold out due to the influx of motorists who went to fill up before the petrol price increase, they actually suffered a supply challenge that hampered them from cashing-in on the rush.
“We placed an order for supply as we knew the day before an increase is usually busy as people rush to fill up hours before a petrol increase. However, our truck had a breakdown and never made it to Kimberley. We only received the delivery on Wednesday morning. We used the supply we had and were sold out by early evening. We had to turn many customers away,” Van Niekerk said with a sigh.