Oh, how we wish we could travel back in time. Back to a time when our biggest worry was a R3 price increase for diesel this April. That number has only worsened over these past few weeks, with the Central Energy Fund’s (CEF) latest snapshot foretelling a much larger R9+ increase for diesel. The situation is similarly dire for petrol drivers, who currently face a R5+ increase at the pumps. All thanks to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), officially responsible for the monthly fuel price adjustments, typically comes to a final decision on the last Friday of any given month. Those adjustments usually come into effect on the first Wednesday of the new month, meaning next week — 1 April 2026.
Grab your running shoes, things are about to get hairy
Trust us when we say you’ll want to make the most of the current prices at the pumps before that happens. As ever, the CEF has continued to provide daily fuel price snapshots — based on those economic factors that most heavily influence the price of fuel. Unfortunately, in this case, these have proven rather accurate in the past.
It’s the price of oil that impacts the price of fuel the most, in addition to the average Rand/US Dollar exchange rate. Oil prices have continued to surge throughout March as stocks lessen. This has led to the Rand seeing a similar dip, despite showing strong legs at the beginning of the year. These two things are the factors most responsible for the incoming price hike.
By the time these figures (below) hit the pumps on Wednesday, 1 April, it may well be the largest fuel price jump in South Africa’s history. South Africa has spent these last few years slowly chipping away at the high prices that plagued motorists throughout the COVID pandemic, all for it to be stripped away again. If the CEF’s predictions come to pass, diesel prices could shoot past the R27/l mark, surpassing their highest-ever record from 2022.
In other words, it’s going to be a rough April for commuters. Check back in with Stuff next week to find out just how rough, once the DMRE has published the official adjustments.
Here are the petrol and diesel price predictions (so far) for April 2026:
- Petrol 93: increase of 518 cents per litre (R5.18)
- Petrol 95: increase of 572 cents per litre (R5.72)
- Diesel 0.05%: increase of 967 cents per litre (R9.67)
- Diesel 0.005%: increase of 981 cents per litre (R9.81)
- Illuminating Paraffin: increase of 1,141 cents per litre (R11,41)
