It’s taken seven months, but it’s finally happened. Petrol prices are going down in August. And no, you aren’t being Punk’d – this is real. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has published the official fuel adjustments showing us that petrol prices are trending downwards.
Unfortunately, August marks the end of the government’s ‘tax break’. Meaning, that 75c/l is being added back to the price of petrol, no matter what. But this doesn’t mean prices won’t decrease. They’re still going down. Better yet, the reduction is a sizeable one.
This is not a drill
The pricing adjustments will hit petrol stations from Wednesday 3 August, so try and plan your fill-ups accordingly. The official decreases are as follows (not including the 75c government is adding onto the price):
| Petrol 95 | Decrease of 207 cents per litre |
| Petrol 93 | Decrease of 207 cents per litre |
| Diesel 0.05% | Decrease of 163 cents per litre |
| Diesel 0.005% | Decrease of 166 cents per litre |
| Illuminating Paraffin (wholesale) | Decrease of 219 cents per litre |
This is what we could have had – if we had the government tax relief still in play. But after Wednesday, tax relief is over, which makes the numbers look a little less appetizing. It’s still a great reduction. It’s just not as great as it could have been.
This is the ‘real’ reduction after SA’s government has added back 75c onto the price;
| Petrol 95 | Decrease of 132 cents per litre |
| Petrol 93 | Decrease of 132 cents per litre |
| Diesel 0.05% | Decrease of 88 cents per litre |
| Diesel 0.005% | Decrease of 91 cents per litre |
| Illuminating Paraffin (wholesale) | Decrease of 144 cents per litre |
Which is still pretty good for drivers. Hopefully, this won’t be a one-time thing. Prices of petrol, diesel and paraffin decreased globally, which allowed South Africa’s August prices to decrease drastically.
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Here’s what the prices will be at pumps around the country;
Let’s make the most of this while it lasts. Who knows when the prices could go down again? It could leap right back up come September. Or it could drop even further. But that’s next month’s problem.
Source: BusinessTech