Record fuel hikes now confirmed for October
The record fuel hikes motorists across the country have feared are now confirmed as October breaches the R30 per litre mark.
POLOKWANE – South African motorists will pay more than R30 for a litre of petrol for the first time in history from Wednesday, October 7, after the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources confirmed record fuel price increases on Monday.
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The numbers at a glance
| Fuel Type | September Price | October Price | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol 95 | R26.92 | R30.25 | +R3.33 |
| Petrol 93 | R26.76 | R29.88 | +R3.12 |
| Diesel 0.05% | R29.11 | R31.95 | +R2.84 |
| Diesel 0.005% | R30.05 | R33.29 | +R3.24 |
| Illuminating Paraffin | R20.89 | R24.47 | +R3.58 |
At what point does commuting become too expensive?
For a driver covering around 500km a month on the average Polokwane take-home salary of R13 635, fuel would account for between 5% and 7% of monthly income.
A worker earning R10 000 a month would spend 8% to 10% of their income on fuel. Someone earning the National Minimum Wage would spend more than a quarter of their income on transport.
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Economists generally consider transport costs exceeding 10% of household income a significant burden. For a growing number of Limpopo households, that threshold is now being breached.
For now, no relief is in sight. The R30 petrol price is here.
