By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Department of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (DPMR) has published the official fuel price adjustments that will take effect on Wednesday, 6 August 2025.
The August fuel price adjustment brings a mixed bag for consumers, with relief on the petrol price front, but those with diesel vehicles will be hit with a significant increase.
Consumers will see a price cut of 28 cents per litre for 95 and 93 petrol, while diesel will be hiked by a sizeable 63-65 cents per litre.
International product price movements are the driving force behind the August price adjustments, while a slightly stronger South African rand provided relief to the tune of around five cents.
The average Brent Crude oil price decreased slightly from 69.36 US Dollars (USD) to 69.06 USD during the period under review.
The main contributing factor to the lower crude oil price is the decision by OPEC to increase production and the uncertainty caused by looming US trade tariffs including secondary tariffs which could affect global economic growth and demand for crude oil.
The average international petrol prices decreased in line with the decrease in crude oil prices.
The prices of diesel and paraffin increased due to low stocks in the US, unplanned refinery shutdowns and closures of refineries in the EU which have resulted in tight supply.
This led to lower contributions to the Basic Fuel Prices (BFP) of petrol by 23.49 cents per litre (c/l), and higher contributions to the BFP of diesel and illuminating paraffin by 69.94 c/l and 35.57 c/l respectively.
The prices of Propane and Butane decreased during the period under review.
The Rand appreciated on average, against the US Dollar (USD), (from 17.84 to 17.76 Rand per USD) during the period under review when compared to the previous one.
This led to lower contributions to the Basic Fuel Prices of petrol by between 4.00 – 5.00 cents per litre on all products.
In line with the provisions of the SelfAdjusting Slate Levy Mechanism, the slate levy remains unchanged at zero cents per litre in the price structures of petrol and diesel.
The Maximum Refinery Gate Price of LPGas that is imported through the Port of Saldanha Bay will be R14 633.10 and the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of LPGas in Western Cape will be R35.30 effective from the 6th of August 2025.