Ramaphosa acknowledged petrol hike will hit hard

President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged that the uncertain increase in the cost of petrol will influence the pockets of South Africans negatively, with the temporal reduction of the general fuel levy set to end this month.

The President was speaking to the media in Carolina, Mpumalanga, during his Presidential Imbizo tour on Friday 20 May.

He stated that motorists were going to have to spend more money to pay for petrol amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has influenced fuel prices globally.

“Petrol increase is as a result of petrol rises globally, many countries are suffering the same effect. So, in our case, we took an initiative which is going to come to an end, the end of this month, and unfortunately, it is going to hit drivers and car owners quite hard,” he said.

For June, the price of petrol Is expected to increase by R1.93, while diesel will go up by R1.60.

The increases will push petrol prices to above R24 per liter and diesel to more than R25 per liter. The temporary relief, which saw the country’s fuel levy for petrol decreasing from R3.85 per litre to R2.35 per litre, is set to end on 31 May.