Petrol prices could be in for a R2/l+ price cut treat this December, while diesel drivers face another hike

South Africa’s fuel prices are finally headed in the right direction. Or rather, petrol prices are headed in the right direction. According to data published by the Central Energy Fund (CEF) on 11 November, petrol is currently facing a major R2/l+ price decrease, even after the National Treasury reduced the relief applied to fuel levies.

Diesel is also looking at a price cut, albeit a smaller one. Motorists likely won’t get to experience the cut at pumps, however. When the National Treasury knocked R3/l off taxes to spare drivers from even larger hikes, it was under the condition that the tax would slowly be added back — R0.50 for petrol and R1.50 for diesel this December.

That means that the sizeable R1.34 cut expected for diesel prices will actually see 16 cents added to the prices. There’s still time for things to come right before the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) adjusts the country’s fuel prices on the first Wednesday of the new month — 3 December, in this case.

The CEF, in conjunction with the DMPR, tracks those economic factors that influence the price of fuel locally. Historically, the biggest culprit is the global oil price. At the beginning of 2026, prices were stable, and this led to motorists saving a few bucks on their petrol and diesel every month. After the US-Iran War kicked off, prices quickly began to rise everywhere, and sent local fuel prices so high that we’re still feeling the effects today.

Now, they’re starting to come back down, resulting in the expected fuel price cuts for December. Should prices continue to decrease even further, diesel drivers may be lucky enough to outstrip the incoming taxes.

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