Author: Stuff writer

The app that invented workplace misery? I thought this page was supposed to be fun? We’re pretty sure workplace misery predates digital spreadsheets, and Microsoft didn’t invent those anyway. That dubious honour goes to the creators of VisiCalc, which debuted on the Apple II six years before Excel; it was the first app to automate complex spreadsheet calculations via a magical grid of cells packed with data. Excel only became a glimmer in Microsoft’s eye after its own Multiplan failed and Lotus 1-2-3 had risen to dominate the PC market. OK, fine. The app that amplified workplace misery on the…

The start of a new month means another round of adjustments to fuel prices. There has been some movement since we published the latest June fuel price predictions. The directions of the petrol and diesel prices haven’t changed, but the figures have slightly. Here is what the Department of Petroleum and Mineral Resources wants to charge you for driving around in June. Official June fuel prices By now, you probably know what goes into the department’s decision to increase or decrease the country’s prices. The global price of oil is a big contributing factor, as is the average Rand/US Dollar exchange…

The latest batch of the Central Energy Fund’s (CEF) predictions for June’s fuel price changes has been released. In isolation, the predicted changes would be a boon for all motorists in the country, no matter what gas guzzler you drive. The unfortunate reality is that they don’t exist in isolation. While prices are decreasing across the board, the halving of the government’s fuel levy relief means some drivers could still pay more at the pumps next week. A rare ‘W’ for diesel drivers Briefly ignoring the fuel levy relief, the latest predictions indicate decreases for both petrol and diesel. The…

South Africa’s petrol and diesel prices are heading in the right direction this June. After a tragic bout of increases for both petrol and diesel drivers, the Central Energy Fund (CEF) has some good news in store. In its latest daily fuel price snapshot (captured 13 May), it teased a drastic R4/l decrease in diesel prices for June. The day diesel drivers have dreamed about Compared to the early predictions for June, which foretold a smaller, R2.48/l decrease, it’s a big jump. And with more than half of May left to us, there’s an opportunity for that figure to grow even…

On Monday, 4 May, the Central Energy Fund (CEF) and the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources published the official fuel price adjustments for May. It delivered some pretty bad news all around, though it was the country’s diesel drivers who felt the sting with a R6.19/l increase. Fortunately, the CEF has confirmed an error in its initial calculations and reissued the adjustments with a smaller (but still painful) diesel price hike. We’ll take what we can get Evidently, the CEF forgot to take the government’s R3.93/l relief for diesel prices into full consideration, only knocking R3/l off the price.…

UPDATE (06/05/26): The Central Energy Fund (CEF) has reissued the official fuel price adjustments for May 2026, confirming an error in its initial calculations of diesel prices. Instead of seeing a massive R6.19/l for diesel prices at the pumps, drivers will now see the correct increase of R5.27/l. ORIGINAL STORY: It’s that time again. Time for the Department of Petroleum and Mineral Resources to make or break the coming month with the official fuel price adjustments for May. If you’ve been paying attention to the CEF’s petrol and diesel price predictions throughout April, you already know what to expect. If…

Now that May has officially rolled around, we’re closer than ever to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE) official fuel price adjustments. Those will officially kick in at the country’s fuel pumps on Wednesday, 6 May, likely delivering fuel price hikes to both petrol and diesel drivers alike. Start running, diesel drivers Fortunately, the government is set to extend its fuel tax relief scheme for the next two months. Petrol drivers will see up to R3/l knocked off their bill in May, while diesel drivers can expect savings of R3.93/l. What that will look like, considering the Central…

It won’t be long before the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) is ready to adjust the country’s petrol and diesel prices again. Until then, we’re holding thumbs that the Central Energy Fund’s (CEF) daily predictive snapshots will tell a better story than the one they’ve been telling. Dread it, run from it, petrol price hikes arrive all the same If you missed the news, fuel prices are set to go up this May. Way up. At the beginning of April, it was believed that diesel drivers would be hit with an increase as large as R11/l, while petrol drivers…

We can’t exactly say that we have good news concerning the petrol price outlook for May, but we certainly have better news than we did a week ago. The expected price hikes — which sat as high as R11/l for diesel drivers at the beginning of April — have continued to ease over the last couple of weeks. Drivers, it seems, will still pay more at the pumps than they did throughout April, but the projected increases are falling by the day. May the odds be ever in your favour That’s according to the Central Energy Fund (CEF), which offers daily predictive snapshots for…

It’s been a hot minute since Eskom last brought load shedding into our lives, and even then, it was only for a couple of days. Ever since, South Africa’s primary power utility has kept the lights on, with no plans to turn them off again. Even with winter on the horizon, Eskom reckons it can deliver a stable power supply throughout. Whew. “Eskom enters the 2026 winter season with a resilient power system, projecting a winter period of continued energy stability from 1 April to 31 August 2026. This positive outlook follows the successful conclusion of the summer period, during…