We’ve warned readers against the increasingly desperate fuel price hike for the last few weeks, and now the day has finally come. Well, almost. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has published the official adjustments for April 2026, which will fittingly come into effect at South Africa’s fuel pumps on Wednesday, 1 April. This marks the largest single increase for fuel prices in SA.
Petrol up, diesel way up — but vibes are at an all-time low
Unfortunately, it’ll be diesel drivers suffering the brunt of this increase, who initially faced a massive R10/l hike. South Africa’s garages have already begun limiting the sale of diesel (to about 40/50 litres per vehicle, depending on the station) as it prepares for a major fuel shortage in the country. This shortage is due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, with oil prices reaching exorbitant highs and depleting reserves everywhere.
Petrol drivers won’t escape unscathed, either. They were initially faced with a similarly dire increase of R6/l. Fortunately, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has confirmed a R3 reduction in fuel price levies, significantly easing the pressure of the increases as they stand. With the reduction in mind, you can see the coming fuel price hikes below, which will fall to around R7/l for diesel prices and around R3/l for petrol prices this April. Whew.
Read More: R3 fuel levy cut confirmed to soften petrol and diesel price hikes this April
Not only will it cost more to get around with your own car, but taxi fares could face hikes, too. The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) has warned (via Newzroom Afrika) that fare increases are “unavoidable” in the present climate. The same could go for delivery services, which rely on delivery drivers and thus, fuel.
Readers of Stuff will likely be well prepared for the coming fuel price increases. The Central Energy Fund (CEF), in conjunction with the DMRE, tracks those economic factors that influence the price of fuel locally. Using this data, it offers South African residents a daily fuel price snapshots and insight into the official adjustments.
Those factors are the average Rand/US Dollar exchange rate — so strong at the beginning of 2026 and has now crumbled — as well as the price of oil globally. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has seen the world’s oil stocks slowly depleting, driving the price of oil as well as fuel prices in South Africa.
“The average international product prices for Petrol, Diesel and Illuminating Paraffin increased during the period under review. The Rand depreciated 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 27 February 2026 to 26 March 2026 was 16.6429 compared to 15.9959 during the previous period. This led to a higher contribution to the Basic Fuel Prices on petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin by 56.181 c/l, 77.294 c/l, 83.214 c/l respectively.”
From 00:01 on the morning of Wednesday, 1 April 2026, petroleum-based fuels will see the following changes:
- Petrol 93: increase of 306 cents per litre (R3.06)
- Petrol 95: increase of 306 cents per litre (R3.06)
- Diesel 0.05%: increase of 737 cents per litre (R7.37)
- Diesel 0.005%: increase of 751 cents per litre (R7.51)
- Illuminating Paraffin (Wholesale): increase of 1,167 cents per litre (R11.67)
- LPGAS: increase of 108 cents per kilogram (R1.08)
