- Chief Mandla Mandela of Mvezo has called on Contralesa to engage government on fuel subsidies for rural communities ahead of Wednesday’s record price increase.
- Petrol and diesel prices rise by more than R3 a litre from 7 October, pushing both fuels to all-time highs.
Chief Zwelivelile Mandla Mandela of Mvezo, in the Eastern Cape, has called on the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) to work with government to find solutions for rural communities facing the country’s latest fuel price increase.
He spoke ahead of Wednesday’s price hike, warning that rural communities, many of whom rely on social welfare grants, will carry the heaviest burden.
Chief Mandela told Scrolla.Africa that soaring fuel prices are crippling the incomes of his villagers, which are often not enough to cover basic household needs.
“What is more concerning is that schools are reopening this week, and we might expect an increase in scholar transport and other essentials needed daily. In my village, most communities live on social grants, and they can no longer afford the cost of living caused by the fuel increase.
“This fuel increase is a wake-up call for traditional leaders to push Contralesa to discuss this matter with government, to come up with fuel subsidies that will help rural communities face the rising cost of living,” Chief Mandela said.
He said it is time for Contralesa to engage the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources directly, since people under traditional authority are facing the painful reality of being unable to afford basic necessities because of fuel costs.
He said engaging first with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs could help traditional leaders bring the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources to the table to find solutions.
Mvezo is among the poorest areas in the Eastern Cape, with high unemployment, low household incomes and heavy reliance on social welfare grants.
South African fuel prices will rise sharply from Wednesday, 7 October 2026, with 95 petrol increasing by R3.33 a litre and 93 petrol by R3.12 a litre, according to the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources. Diesel with 0.05% sulphur content will rise by 284.38 cents a litre, and 0.005% sulphur diesel by 324.38 cents a litre. Illuminating paraffin rises by R3.58 a litre, and LPGas by 42 cents a kilogram nationally, or 48 cents in the Western Cape. Both petrol and diesel are expected to reach all-time record highs once the new prices take effect.
Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe said the increase follows a rise in the average Brent crude oil price from $87.89 to $101 a barrel over the review period, driven by continued US/Iran tensions, uncertainty over the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, higher shipping costs and falling global inventories.
