Petrol nears R30/l in the latest fuel price predictions for October

Pain. That’s all the predicted petrol and diesel price adjustments for October are good for. The latest data from the Central Energy Fund (CEF), captured on 22 September, tells us that South Africa’s fuel prices aren’t going to be pretty. Diesel, it seems, will come worse off than all the rest, with a massive R3/litre hike on the cards.

A record-breaking October?

If you thought the mid-month predictions for October were bad, it’s nothing compared to what motorists are currently facing. It’s not just a rough month for diesel drivers, with petrol drivers possibly looking at record-high prices in the coming weeks. According to the current trends, petrol could cost as much as R29.8/l at the pumps.

We’d obviously rather that didn’t happen. We won’t know if it has ’til the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) officially announces the October adjustments. This usually takes place a day or two before prices are adjusted on the first Wednesday of the month. In this case, that’ll fall on Wednesday, 7 October 2026.

While it may not be the hike you see at the pumps, the CEF’s figures are accurate. It tracks those economic factors that determine the price of fuel locally, and provides daily snapshots for residents to get a clearer picture. The Rand/US Dollar exchange rate is a big factor, though not quite as important as the average price of oil globally.

The Rand has (mostly) remained resilient, contributing to a slightly lower predicted price hike next month. Oil prices, on the other hand, have hovered above $100/barrel for much of September. That’s far above the approximately $70/barrel figures we saw earlier this year, before the US-Iran War kicked off.