By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The fuel prices are set to rise sharply from Wednesday, 01 April 2026, driven by the persistently high global oil prices linked to ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
There are growing fears that the price hike will exacerbate pressure on household budgets, and have a wider impact on food prices, transport and inflation.
The government is being urged to formulate an urgent plan to cushion South Africans.
Several industry stakeholders and civil action groups have called on the state to temporarily pause the country’s fuel taxes.
However, this puts the government in a difficult position, as it now has to weight the cost of providing immediate relief to consumers against a fiscus loss of approximately R8 billion per month.
According to the Fuels Industry Association of South Africa’s head of security of supply, Siganeko Magafela, supply depots still have stock available, but delivery networks are under pressure.
“The logistics can’t keep up with the demand at the service stations currently. Some companies are reporting the demand [for volumes] is three times more than they normally [handle],” he said.
The association has in recent days started tracking the number of “dry tanks” for both diesel and 95 unleaded petrol, using data from industry members across the country.
Magafela said these figures change constantly as fuel is delivered and sites are replenished, with stations that have run dry typically being prioritised.
Despite the disruption, Magafela said good news is that supply is still available at the depot level. “The chances of recovery in terms of the backlog are high… it’s just a matter of timing,” he said.
The pressure on local fuel supplies comes amid heightened concern over global energy markets following tensions involving Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil and gas shipping routes.
Since the conflict began, the cost of Brent Crude has soared from around $69 per barrel to $115 per barrel.
At the same time, the rand has depreciated against the US dollar, dropping from R15.85 to over R17 per USD.
Both of these factors mean that it will be much more expensive to purchase and import oil, even though South Africa receives a large portion of its fuel from Nigeria, which isn’t directly impacted by the war with Iran.
Compounding this issue is the fact that the government is supposed to raise fuel taxes this April.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana previously announced during the 2026 Budget Speech that the state would raise the General Fuel Levy (GFL), Road Accident Fund (RAF) Levy, and Carbon Levy in line with inflation.
The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources has yet to announce the official fuel price adjustments for April, even though they are scheduled to take effect tomorrow.
The latest data from the Central Energy Fund indicates that petrol will go up by R5 per litre, while diesel is facing an unprecedented hike of R10 per litre.