South Africans, already frustrated by April’s fuel price increases, could soon face even more pain at the pumps as fresh instability in the Middle East fuels concern over global oil supply disruptions and the outlook for next month’s prices.

April’s fuel price hikes were driven by a sharp increase in Brent crude oil prices, higher international petroleum product prices, a weaker rand against the US dollar, and higher shipping costs linked to tensions between the US and Iran, especially around the Strait of Hormuz. Although the government introduced a temporary R3 per litre cut to the general fuel levy from April 1 to May 5 to soften the blow, petrol still increased by R3.06 a litre, while diesel rose by more than R7 a litre.

Next month’s fuel outlook remains deeply concerning for South African motorists, with early April data showing that, despite some improvement from the worst-case projections, steep increases are still expected.

With diesel potentially crossing the R35 mark and petrol chasing R30 a litre next month, motorists could soon face even more pain at the pumps as early April data continues to point to steep fuel price increases.

According to Auto Trader, Petrol 95 could rise by between R3.63 and R6.63 a litre, Petrol 93 by between R3.25 and R6.25, while diesel is facing a possible R10.84 per litre increase.

The situation could worsen further if the temporary R3.00 fuel levy relief expires on May 5 without being extended, which would add another automatic increase on top of the already high under-recoveries.

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