South African motorists can breathe a bit easier thanks to a petrol and diesel price slash that has lowered prices to levels last seen in 2022. 

On Monday, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) announced that fuel prices would be adjusted based on “current local and international factors” from Wednesday, 2 October 2024.

Here’s the breakdown:

  • Petrol 93: Down by 106 cents per litre
  • Petrol 95: Down by 114 cents per litre
  • Diesel (0.05% sulphur): Down by 114 cents per litre
  • Diesel (0.005% sulphur): Down by 112 cents per litre
  • Illuminating Paraffin: Down by 111 cents per litre
  • SMNRP for IP: Down by 148 cents per litre

LP Gas prices, however, are up by 23 cents per kilogram.

Not everyone’s celebrating, though. 

Nelson Mandela Bay has been excluded from enjoying these cuts due to damage at the Port Elizabeth Harbour in June. The port is where tankers usually drop off fuel, and the metro could not receive fuel deliveries by sea. The other port in the area, the Port of Ngqura, doesn’t have the infrastructure to handle fuel tankers either. This meant that if the petrol price cuts were applied in Nelson Mandela Bay, it could run out of fuel. To prevent this, the government decided to exclude Nelson Mandela Bay from the price cuts and temporarily rezone it as an inland region, meaning prices are higher than in other coastal areas. 

Repairs to the Port Elizabeth Harbour are expected to be completed by December 2024, and the fuel situation should improve then.