Diesel motorists face a R1+ increase at the pumps this August

Oil prices are on the rise again, which means bad things are afoot for the petrol and diesel prices this August. The last we heard, petrol prices were still on the decline, while diesel was the first to cross into ‘increase’ territory. A week later, and things are beginning to look dire, particularly for the country’s diesel drivers.

Diesel takes a tumble

As ever, the figures below aren’t final and are subject to change. The Central Energy Fund is responsible for tracking those economic factors that influence the price of fuel locally. Using this captured data, it’s able to provide daily fuel price snapshots, offering a fairly accurate glimpse into the goings-on behind the scenes.

Those would be the average price of oil globally, as well as the average Rand/US Dollar exchange rate. With tensions rising globally, nations are clutching their oil reserves close to the chest, leading to hiked prices. As it stands, oil has once again crossed the $100/barrel mark, leading to the estimated fuel price adjustments below.

The official adjustments are left in the hands of the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR). Fuel prices across the country are adjusted on the first Wednesday of the new month. In this case, that’ll fall on 5 August 2026. With over a week to go ’til that date, there’s a good chance the predictions will only worsen.

As it stands, petrol drivers are expected to pay 40c/l less than they did in July. Compare that to the early predictions for August, and it’s certainly taken a big tumble. It’s even worse for the price of diesel — which had a R3/l decrease to look forward to. Give it another week, and petrol drivers might be joining the diesel drivers.