South African motorists are anticipating a significant fuel price hike in April as a result of ongoing hostilities in the Middle East.
Amid this, a social media report surfaced yesterday (21 March) suggesting that diesel pumps are running dry in Upington. Andries Burger posted a video on the Upington Concerned Citizens Facebook page showing trucks queuing in the streets near fuel stations.
Responding to the post, Charmain van Rooyen and Leandrea Steenkamp both confirmed that they had visited fuel stations in Upington and that the diesel tanks at these facilities had run dry. “Keimoes also does not have diesel,” said Voges Swenson. Various individuals commenting on the video accused some fuel station owners of withholding diesel supplies in anticipation of the expected price hike announcement on 1 April. “They are doing this and will make millions,” commented Stephen Deacon.
According to a post on the Truck Drivers Facebook page (13 March), some fuel stations in South Africa had begun limiting diesel sales as supply tightens, with truck drivers reportedly restricted to a certain number of litres per day. John Beukes said that he had filled up in De Aar on Thursday and had been limited to 30 litres of fuel. Juanita Geyer van Zijl said she was allowed to fill up with 80 litres. “I could only fill up with 30 litres in Pofadder,” commented Ben van der Westhuizen.
The Central Energy Fund (CEF) mid-month data shows significant under-recoveries in the current fuel price cycle – a key signal that price hikes may be on the way. News24 Business reported that, “While the pricing cycle is still at an early stage, the current data paints a concerning picture for consumers. The final price adjustments will ultimately depend on how global oil markets and the rand perform in the coming weeks – but for now, the outlook suggests a significant fuel price increase is on the way for South Africans.”
The latest CEF data shows that the under-recovery (the gap between local pump prices and the real cost of petrol based on imported prices in dollars and the rand–dollar exchange rate) for 95-octane petrol was R5.20 per litre for the three weeks up to 19 March. For wholesale diesel with 0.05% sulphur, the under-recovery is R8.52 per litre, and for 0.005% sulphur, R8.63.
“Forecasts thus indicate that an increase of 21 cents per litre in fuel levies would result in an increase of R5.41 per litre in the petrol price and up to R8.84 per litre in the diesel price. These are, however, predictions, with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy set to announce the official fuel price adjustments at the end of March 2026,” the News24 Business report stated.
Additional Reporting News24 Business
