Fuel prices have reached a record high in South Africa after the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy announced an increase of R1.21 for a litre of petrol while diesel increased by R1.48 a litre.
The exorbitant price increase of fuel will mostly affect the poor in South Africa as prices are expected to increase again in December, experts have warned. The Energy Department has also come under fire for announcing the fuel price hike just before polls closed on 1 November. The Automobile Association said that it was deeply concerned about the fact that the announcement by the DMRE was headlined for release on 28 October, yet it was only issued 15 minutes before the election polls closed on Monday night.
The Automobile Association said in a statement that it will be writing to parliament to demand an explanation for the delay. “When a media statement is datelined four days prior to an election but delayed 15 minutes before the polls close, it is difficult to conclude otherwise than that this bad news was deliberately suppressed to protect the incumbent government,” the AA said in a statement.
The AA also said that the November fuel price increase comes as a result of a perfect storm of international demand imbalances for crude oil as well as rising refinery costs and rand weakness, and that the future prognosis does not look positive.
Locals are feeling the impact on their pockets as many say that they are struggling to make ends meet. Christopher Bothman, 68, who has been living in Newcastle for 38 years, said that the price hike is ridiculous. “This is insane. My wife and I are pensioners, we can barely afford to buy groceries to survive each month and now to deal with a fuel increase of this magnitude is really disappointing. To also deal with the reality of loadshedding is just another reason why I feel so let down by the government of the country. South Africa is a beautiful place but sadly many are leaving to seek greener pastures abroad,” said Bothma.
His 61-year-old wife, Sally Bothman, shares the sentiments of her husband. “The question that I would like to ask is, how does the government expect us to survive? This is ridiculous,” she said.
Hlengiwe Thabiso, who resides in Madadeni and travels each day to Newcastle to her place of employment, said that she is left with no choice but to find employment closer to where she stays. “I travel daily between Newcastle and Madadeni, like many residents. I cannot fathom how many are going to make ends meet. I think that the middle class will be affected most with this fuel increase. Government should really do something, and the fact that the announcement was delayed 15 minutes before voting polls closed makes one wonder, does the government have the citizens’ best interests at heart or are they just worried about gaining votes and being in control?” said Thabiso.
With another fuel hike set for December, residents are urged to buckle up for a bumpy road ahead.
