Cape Town - From Wednesday morning, South African motorists are paying more to fill up their tanks. Also increasing is the price of paraffin and gas.
The price change adds to the double-whammy power and water cuts experienced since the beginning of the year.
At the weekend, some residents in Gauteng were forced to purchase water, while others resorted to going to neighbouring areas with buckets, bottles and containers.
Load shedding, on the other hand, remains part and parcel of a South African’s life ... and now yet another fuel price increase has come into effect.
Generally, the cost of living continues to rise.
On Tuesday, Statistics South Africa announced that the number of people who are not economically active stood at 16.8 million, and the unemployment rate stood at 32.7%.
In the case of petrol, the movement in international oil prices is contributing between 76 and 82 cents to the increases, while the weaker average rand to US dollar exchange adds about 46 cents to the expected increases.
In terms of the diesel price, the sole contributor to the expected increases is the weaker exchange rate, according to the Automobile Association.
The February 2023 Household Affordability Index indicated the cost of the average household food basket had increased by R572.64, or 13.1%, from R4 355.70 in February 2022 to R4 928.34 in February this year.
It is no longer enough to simply call for, and expect, citizens to cut down on their spending.
Dear President Cyril Ramaphosa, your people are drowning and need some relief from the constantly rising cost of living as well as service delivery nightmares.
Cape Times