Fuel hike knock for motorists

Cape Town — All grades of petrol will increase by 47 cents per litre on Wednesday, the Department of Energy said on Friday.

Petrol went up by R1,62 in April, but remained unchanged in May. Diesel will increase by 49c/l (0,005 percent Sulphur) and 46c/l (0,05percent Sulphur).

The department said these increases were for Gauteng and that the pricing schedule for the different zones would be published on Tuesday.

“International factors include the fact that South Africa imports both crude oil and finished products at a price set by the global markets, including shipping costs,” the department said.

“The main reason for the fuel price increase is the high crude oil prices, which resulted in higher prices (on average) for all the petroleum products in the international markets in May 2015 compared to April 2015.” The department pointed out that the rand appreciated against the US dollar compared to the previous fuel price review period. — Fin24