South African motorists are bracing for another sharp increase in fuel prices, with petrol expected to rise above R30 per litre for the first time.
The latest increases are expected to place further pressure on household budgets, with higher fuel costs likely to affect transport, food and other essential goods.
Petrol prices will increase by between R3.12 and R3.33 per litre, depending on the grade, while diesel prices are already above R30 per litre.
The impending increases have prompted motorists to rush to filling stations ahead of the midnight deadline, as consumers seek to fill their tanks before the new prices take effect.
The Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), however, has warned that the increases could have a particularly severe impact on low-income households, workers and unemployed South Africans.
PAC Western Cape spokesperson Mfusi Zonke said rising fuel prices would have a ripple effect across the economy.
“When fuel goes up, everything goes up: bread, taxi fares and paraffin, but wages remain the same,” said Zonke.
He said the impact would be especially severe for unemployed people and households already struggling to meet their basic needs.
The PAC is calling for government intervention, including tighter regulation of fuel prices and subsidised public transport for workers and students.
Zonke described the latest increase as a “death sentence” for people already struggling to make ends meet and called for an immediate reduction in fuel prices.
With the new prices taking effect from midnight, motorists have only a few hours to fill up before the increases come into effect.