Fuel price jump confirmed: What South Africans will pay this May

South Africans will face a sharp rise at the pumps from Wednesday, 6 May, after the Central Energy Fund (CEF) confirmed the official fuel price adjustments for May. Both petrol and diesel will increase significantly, the CEF said.

Official May fuel price changes

The CEF confirmed the following month-on-month increases:

• Petrol 93: +R3.27 per litre
• Petrol 95: +R3.27 per litre
• Diesel (0.05% and 0.005%): +R6.19 per litre
• Illuminating paraffin: +R4.22 per litre

How much you’ll be paying at the pumps

The increases push inland pump prices to the following levels:

• Petrol 93: R26.52 per litre
• Petrol 95: R26.63 per litre
• Diesel (0.05% and 0.005%): R32.30 per litre

The CEF noted that coastal prices are slightly lower, but still higher than April levels.

Why prices rose

BusinessTech attributed the hikes to rising international fuel prices and a weaker rand during the review period. The CEF data shows that increases in global oil prices, together with currency pressure, drove up the Basic Fuel Price the main component of local fuel costs.

The CEF also recorded a slate levy adjustment of 122.70 cents per litre to recover industry under-recoveries, which added further upward pressure on pump prices.

Relief measures that remain in place

Some government relief measures continue to soften the impact, but did not offset the full increase:

• Petrol levy remains reduced by R3 per litre
• Diesel levy reduced to zero, with an additional relief of about 93 cents per litre

Broader impact

The confirmed increases mean motorists will face higher transport costs, with diesel critical for logistics and goods transport seeing the steepest jump. Because fuel prices feed into food, transport and broader inflation, the May adjustment is expected to place further strain on household budgets across South Africa.