Motorists fill up their tanks ahead of the official petrol hike.
Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
Dozens of filling stations across the country ran dry on Tuesday as motorists scrambled to fill up with petrol and diesel ahead of the drastic fuel price hike at midnight.
And though the government cushioned the blow at the last minute, announcing a R3 cut in the fuel levy, it did little to stem the onslaught at the pumps.
Long queues formed from early morning and stretched throughout the day, with some stations so overwhelmed that waiting times reached an hour, while others ran out of stock entirely.
Some motorists filled containers in a bid to beat the soaring fuel prices.
South Africans are facing a sharp rise in everyday costs as global fuel shocks ripple through the economy, pushing up the price of food, travel and borrowing. What began as a surge in oil prices is now being felt directly in household budgets, with increases filtering through multiple layers of spending.
Image: Tumi Pakkies / Independent Newspapers
Petrol will increase by R3.06 a litre, while diesel will rise by between R7.37 and R7.51 a litre, depending on the grade.
The wallet-crushing leap was driven mainly by a global oil shock, as conflict in the Middle East — particularly around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz — disrupted supply and pushed crude prices above $100 a barrel.
At the same time, a weaker rand and SA’s reliance on imported fuel made the hikes even steeper locally, as the country pays more for oil priced in dollars.
In Cape Town’s CBD, garages were a hive of activity as motorists rushed at the last minute to fill up their cars
Image: ARMAND HOUGH
Dawie Roodt, of Efficient Group, said if global oil prices and the rand continue on this trajectory, further increases could be on the table in May.
"This is an average over under-recovery," he said.
"The real increase in the oil price happened over the past two weeks or so.
"If prices stay at the current level, there could be another increase in May, because the average for the coming month will be higher than it is at the moment."
Wilfred Fortuin, of Strand, said he was going to feel the pinch.
Speaking amid the long queues, Fortuin said he had to leave work just to fill up.
"I'm part of the rush to fill up the tank today," he said. "It is a struggle to juggle work and then break away to come and fill up — that is the problem at the moment."
Asked how the increase would affect his finances, he said: "It is definitely going to affect it in the long run. I will have to think about it twice before I can say 'OK, I'm good for now'."
Ryan Vosloo, who runs a school transport company in Cape Town, said rising fuel costs were starting to bite.
"It does not help financially, because normally I do smaller transport, so I pay travel expenses a lot," Vosloo said.
"When the petrol is finished, my customers have to pay for it. But because it is so expensive now, my customers demand that petrol be included in the total price, so it is affecting me."
He added that costs have already jumped sharply.
"At the moment it costs me about R1 500, now it’s going to be about R1 800. My three-seater bus used to cost me R1 800, but now it is going to be about R2 200."
Many filling stations had already run out of stock well before midday.
Astron Energy at Sir Lowry’s in Woodstock, also reported running completely out of fuel.
The Engen station on the corner of the N2 and Gerber Boulevard in Helderberg, just outside Cape Town, said it had run out of both diesel and petrol.
General manager Charles Loots said they were still waiting for new stock, with one tank costing about R600 000 — a figure set to rise to nearly R900 000 from Wednesday.
"The customers are angry at me," Loots said.
"They shout at me, accusing me of keeping fuel for friends or hiding it away. Tempers flare, which one can understand. We really don’t have supply."
MBT Fuel on Main Road, Van Ryneveld, Cape Town, said it only had petrol left around 1 pm.
Michael du Plessis, the station’s general manager, said they were waiting to see when the next batch would arrive from Johannesburg.
"This morning we were dispersing about 20 litres of diesel per vehicle to help customers, but we have run out. We can still help with petrol," he said.
Cape Times