During the South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement 2026, he announced plans for R10 billion in tax relief on fuel, cutting the price of diesel by R3.00 and petrol by R1.50 per litre. This came after both fuels pushed the R30.00-a-litre mark in October.

Now that it’s November, the month the fuel decrease takes effect, the adjustment in price is less than everyone hoped for.

Inland:

• 93 Petrol goes from R29.88 in October to R29.87 in November (1 cent decrease per litre)
• 95 Petrol goes from R30.25 in October to R30.24 in November (1 cent decrease per litre)
• Diesel 0.05% (wholesale) goes from R31.95 in October to R30.85 in November (decrease of R1.10 per litre)
• Diesel 0.005% (wholesale) goes from R32.80 in October to R31.60 in November (decrease of R1.20 per litre).

Coastal:

• 93 Petrol goes from R29.09 in October to R29.08 in November
• 95 Petrol goes from R29.38 in October to R29.37 in November
• Diesel 0.05% (wholesale) goes from R31.08 in October to R29.98 in November
• Diesel 0.005% (wholesale) goes from R32.03 in October to R30.83 in November.

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) stated that the weakening Rand to the Dollar and the higher crude oil and petroleum product prices contributed to the November price adjustments.

Another factor that increased the price and effectively nullified the reprieve was the increase in the slate levy. The slate levy is an adjustment mechanism in South Africa’s fuel pricing structure designed to recover cumulative under-recoveries or over-recoveries experienced by the oil industry when pump prices are regulated and kept below actual market costs. The slate levy rose from 87.66 cents per litre to 135.84 cents per litre for both petrol and diesel.