PUMP SQUEEZE: SA motorists can’t escape the petrol price pain in September

Petrol is up by R1.34 and diesel gets a R2.94 increase, and there’s nothing we can do about it for now.

Yes, the randela got stronger against the dollar when you average out the exchange rate over August, and that usually means that petrol should be cheaper, but it also isn’t that simple.

This strengthening of the rand acted as a crucial financial cushion, reducing the impact of the global price hikes by more than 20c per litre across the entire domestic consumer energy stack – even kissing 30c savings on diesel.

While the stronger rand did its best to cushion South Africans, the global refined fuel price hikes were simply too aggressive.

When you subtract the rand’s savings from the global product price increases, we are left with a net Basic Fuel Price (BFP) under-recovery of R1.06 on petrol and R2.71 on the diesel side.

Wait, how much extra am I paying? Petrol (Both 93 and 95 Octane, ULP & LRP): An increase of 134.00 cents per litre (R1.34/l). Diesel 0.05% Sulphur: An increase of 293.90 cents per litre (R2.94/l). Diesel 0.005% Sulphur: An increase of 314.90 cents per litre (R3.15/l). Illuminating Paraffin (wholesale): An increase of 213.00 cents per litre (R2.13/l). Illuminating Paraffin Single Maximum National Retail Price (SMNRP): An increase of 284.00 cents per litre (R2.84/l). LP Gas: An increase of 69.00 cents per kilogram (R0.69/kg). For our inland brethren Petrol 95 ULP: R26.92 per litre (up from R25.58/l). Petrol 93 ULP & LRP: R26.76 per litre (up from R25.42/l). LP Gas (Inland Zone 9C): R37.39 per kilogram (up from R36.70/kg). Diesel 0.05% Sulphur: R29.11 per litre (up from R26.17/l). Diesel 0.005% Sulphur: R29.56 per litre (rounded from 2,955.510 c/l, up from R26.41/l). Illuminating Paraffin (Wholesale): R20.89 per litre (rounded from 2,089.098 c/l, up from R18.76/l).