It’s a pretty rough time to be a petrol driver in South Africa as we edge towards October. The Central Energy Fund (CEF) has continued to supply the country with predictive fuel price snapshots, and the results aren’t what we’d call pretty — though they’re considerably more palatable now than they were just two short weeks ago.

For the love of petrol

Back then, the CEF’s early indicators foretold a nearly 25c/l price increase for petrol drivers, with diesel drivers looking forward to a roughly 17c/l decrease. The tables have turned somewhat in the weeks since, with petrol drivers facing a minor 2-10c/l increase, while diesel is on track for a smaller 7-9c/l decrease. After the last few months of rising diesel prices, they’ll take what they can get.

That only leaves a couple of days before the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) makes its final decision on the coming month’s official fuel price adjustments. The DMRE typically determines this on the final Friday of the month, before the changes go into effect on the first Wednesday of the new month.