December's official petrol and diesel price hike hits this Wednesday

This is not a drill. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) today revealed that the price of petrol and diesel was on the rise in South Africa, leaving motorists the rest of the day to make the most of the lower prices that November delivered. You’ll have until Wednesday, 3 December, ’til they kick in, so get moving.

Throwing petrol on the fuel price fire

Not that we’re surprised. The Central Energy Fund (CEF) — the entity responsible for tracking the economic factors that influence the price of fuel locally — has warned about the impending price hike for weeks now. It’s clear that the increasing cost of oil globally is to blame for the sizeable increase, despite the Rand holding firm against the Dollar throughout November, which ultimately lent a hand in keeping the increase down.

The CEF provides daily insights into the coming fuel price adjustments by tracking the Rand/US Dollar exchange rate against the average price of oil products globally. Rising interest in diesel across the Northern hemisphere is to blame for the massive 65-82c/l diesel price increase that will plague motorists throughout December.

“The average international product prices for Petrol, Diesel and Illuminating Paraffin increased during the period under review. The Rand appreciated against the US Dollar during the period under review, on average, when compared to the previous period. The average Rand/US Dollar exchange rate for the period 31 October 2025 to 03 December 2025 was 17.2343 compared to 17.2930 during the previous period. This led to a lower contribution to the Basic Fuel Prices on petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin by 3.355 c/l, 3.791 c/l, 3.755 c/l respectively.”

The Self-Adjusting Slate Levy Mechanism will remain at R0.00c/l throughout November.