Petrol price shock – April will be tough for SA

April will be a difficult month for South Africa with a slew of price hikes expected to take a punishing toll on consumers and the ailing economy.

Petrol will increase by R1.34 cents per litre for 93 octane and R1.31/l for 95 octane in inland provinces from April. Also kicking in is the General Fuel Levy going up 5c/l and the Road Accident Fund Levy by 15c/l.

“The average motorist uses about 130 litres of petrol so it will now cost about R177 more from their disposable income,” economist Mike Schüssler told Fin24.

“For most people this is a lot of money dipping into spending from elsewhere in the economy.”

“April will be a difficult month for SA with price shocks and it will not be very good for economic growth,” he said.

He explained that not only will it take the inflation rate higher but it will also mean