Key takeaways:
- South African motorists will pay higher fuel prices from September 2
- Brent crude rose from $82.37 to $87.88 per barrel during the review period
- The Self-Adjusting Slate Levy will climb to 83.28 cents per litre from 61.38 cents
South African motorists will face higher fuel costs from Wednesday, September 2, 2026, following the latest monthly adjustment announced by the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.
The department said the adjustment reflects changes in international oil and petroleum product prices, the rand-dollar exchange rate, and other local factors that feed into South Africa’s fuel pricing system.
South Africa recalculates fuel prices every month because the country imports both crude oil and finished petroleum products at internationally determined prices, which include shipping and other importation costs.
Crude oil and international prices push costs up
The average Brent crude oil price rose from $82.37 to $87.88 per barrel during the period under review.
The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources attributed the increase to continued US-Iran tensions, uncertainty over oil movement through the Strait of Hormuz, and higher shipping costs, all of which place upward pressure on the cost of petrol, diesel and other petroleum products.
International prices for petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin also rose during the review period, which the department linked to supply shortages tied to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and lower global inventories of petroleum products.
Those developments added 127.79 cents per litre to petrol’s Basic Fuel Price, 321.29 cents per litre to diesel, and 239.06 cents per litre to illuminating paraffin. International prices for propane and butane rose as well during the same period.
A weaker slate levy relief tightens the squeeze
Adding further pressure on motorists is a sharp increase in the Slate Levy, the mechanism used to recover accumulated under-recoveries in South Africa’s fuel pricing system. The cumulative slate balance stood at a negative R9.519 billion for petrol and diesel at the end of July 2026.
Under the Self-Adjusting Slate Levy Mechanism, the levy will rise to 83.28 cents per litre from 61.38 cents, an increase of 21.90 cents per litre, effective September 2.
The mechanism works by clawing back accumulated shortfalls through higher levies over time, meaning motorists effectively absorb the cost of prior under-recoveries once the balance grows large enough to trigger an adjustment.
The new fuel price structure will also include a wage-linked adjustment for forecourt employees, following the Motor Industry Bargaining Council’s multi-year wage settlement agreement signed in August 2025.
The Minister approved a 4.9 cents per litre increase tied to that agreement, raising the relevant contribution to 320.0 cents per litre from 315.1 cents, effective the same day.
The department also flagged an adjustment to the Maximum Refinery Gate Price for imported LPG as part of the broader monthly review.
