What to expect this week: protest readiness, higher municipal electricity bills and lower fuel prices

Several developments set to affect South Africans this week include heightened security for a planned protest, municipal electricity tariff increases, expected cuts at the pumps and the opening of the 2026 tax season.

Police ramp up for planned 30 June protest

Government has increased security preparations ahead of a planned protest on Tuesday, 30 June. Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said operational readiness has been elevated across all nine provinces and that government is coordinating the South African Police Service (SAPS), the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), intelligence agencies and provincial governments for an operation expected to cost R600 million.

According to The South African, Cachalia said South Africans have the constitutional right to protest peacefully, but warned that violence, intimidation, damage to property and any acts of lawlessness would not be tolerated.

In the Western Cape, Western Cape SAPS spokesperson Colonel André Traut said sufficient police resources will be deployed across the province and urged participants to protest responsibly and to comply with lawful instructions issued by law enforcement officers.

Cape Town relocates Zimbabwean nationals to Epping centre

The City of Cape Town has begun relocating Zimbabwean nationals gathered outside the Zimbabwean Consulate in District Six to the Department of Home Affairs Repatriation Centre in Epping. The relocation began on Sunday as part of efforts to process voluntary repatriation requests through the designated facility.

The City has urged Zimbabwean nationals seeking voluntary repatriation to report directly to the Epping Repatriation Centre and not the Zimbabwean Consulate, and advised the public to avoid the area while the operation continues.

Municipal electricity tariffs increase from 1 July

Millions of South Africans supplied by municipalities will pay more for electricity from Wednesday, 1 July, when new municipal tariffs take effect. The increases follow the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s approval of new bulk electricity tariffs for municipalities. The exact increase differs across municipalities.

Several municipalities will also implement increases for water, sanitation, refuse removal and property rates as the new municipal financial year begins.

Fuel prices expected to fall on 1 July

Motorists are set to get relief at the pumps when fuel price cuts take effect on Wednesday, 1 July. Central Energy Fund data points to the following expected decreases:

• Petrol 93: Around R1.57 per litre
• Petrol 95: Around R1.52 per litre
• Diesel (0.05% sulphur): Around R2.71 per litre
• Diesel (0.005% sulphur): Around R3.15 per litre

The decreases follow lower international oil prices after tensions in the Middle East eased. The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources will confirm the official fuel prices before they take effect.

SARS tax season opens in July

July marks the start of the 2026 tax season. From 1 to 12 July, the South African Revenue Service will issue auto-assessments to qualifying taxpayers using information from employers, banks, medical schemes and other third parties. Taxpayers selected for an auto-assessment should review it on eFiling or the SARS MobiApp.

Those who do not receive an auto-assessment by 12 July can begin submitting their tax returns from 13 July. SARS has also advised taxpayers to ignore recent historical income tax assessment notifications, saying they were generated during a data synchronisation process and do not affect the 2026 filing season.

Also from The South African

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