South Africa’s fuel prices are due for yet another hike in 2026. That’s according to the Central Energy Fund (CEF), an energy company that regularly publishes predictive fuel price snapshots. Based on current data and trends, the price of diesel is set to receive a major shock in the form of a R3/l (or more) increase come September.
A tough September ahead
Petrol isn’t dodging the hikes, either. According to the most recent data (captured 20 August), a far more manageable increase of roughly 90c/l is expected to arrive at the pumps. It’s worth noting that the figures below aren’t final — and are subject to change. For the better? Possible… but unlikely, unfortunately.
The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) typically adjusts the price of fuel on the first Wednesday of the new month. In this case, that’ll be 2 September.
‘Til then, the CEF offers our best guess at the coming increases. It gathers data relating to the economic factors that influence the price of fuel locally, such as the current price of oil globally and the Rand/US Dollar exchange rate. With prices currently trading at around $94/barrel — well above what you’d call ‘normal’ — the predicted fuel prices have responded in kind, leading to the predictive figures you see below:
Here are the petrol and diesel price predictions (so far) for September 2026:
- Petrol 93: increase of 83 cents per litre (R0.83)
- Petrol 95: increase of 94 cents per litre (R0.94)
- Diesel 0.05%: increase of 287 cents per litre (R2.87)
- Diesel 0.005%: increase of 307 cents per litre (R3.07)
- Illuminating Paraffin: increase of 224 cents per litre (R2.24)
