Brace for March: Fresh petrol and diesel price hikes on the horizon

With the first half of February officially behind us, it’s time we started taking the Central Energy Fund’s (CEF) latest daily petrol price snapshots a little more seriously. Unfortunately, South Africa’s source for any upcoming fuel price adjustments hasn’t come bearing good news. In fact, it’s what we’d call bad news, if you can believe it.

Take your time, March…

We know the diesel drivers can. During the first batch of CEF predictions, which came about last week, the energy company teased a price increase for diesel drivers in March 2026. Petrol drivers, on the other hand, were led to believe that a 14c/l decrease was headed their way in the new month. That hope has since been snatched.

Now, diesel and petrol drivers unite in their hatred of the hikes. Of course, there’s still time for the situation to be turned around. The CEF’s figures below are, as ever, predictive and are subject to change. The final decision rests with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE). The CEF, in conjunction with the DMRE, tracks those economic factors that influence the price of fuel locally, offering accurate insight into the coming changes.

The factors largely centre around the average Rand/US Dollar exchange rate and the price of oil products internationally. We can thank the growing global oil prices for the threatened under-recovery (price hike). The Rand’s strengthening performance against the Dollar is what has stopped the increases from deepening.

Here are the petrol and diesel price predictions (so far) for March 2026: