Petrol drops 52c, diesel rises from Wednesday

Motorists will pay less for petrol from Wednesday, 5 August, while diesel users will face a sharp increase.

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources has announced that both grades of petrol will decrease by 52 cents per litre when the new fuel prices take effect at midnight.

Diesel prices, however, will rise by R1.38 per litre for 0.05% sulphur diesel and R1.23 per litre for 0.005% sulphur diesel.

In coastal areas, including the Eastern Cape, 95 unleaded petrol is expected to drop from R25.23 to R24.71 per litre.

Illuminating paraffin will increase by R1.52 per litre at wholesale level, while the maximum retail price will rise by R2.03 per litre. LPGas users will get some relief, with the maximum retail price decreasing by R4.41 per kilogram.

The department said international petrol prices declined during the review period, while diesel and paraffin costs rose. A weaker rand against the US dollar also added pressure to fuel prices.