By Dylan Bettencourt
- Petrol has gone up from R1.90 a litre in 1995 to more than R21 today which is far above inflation.
- South Africa now imports most of its petrol as old refineries close, making fuel much more expensive for everyone.
Petrol prices in South Africa have gone up more than ten times since 1995 which is much faster than inflation.
In October 1995, unleaded 93 petrol inland cost R1.90 a litre. Today it’s R21.48. On the coast, it rose from R1.80 to R20.69.
That means petrol prices have gone up by over 1,000%, while inflation increased by only about 400%.
Experts say the rise is not just about the cost of oil. South Africa imports most of its fuel, and the rand has become much weaker. In 1995, one US dollar cost R3.66. Today it’s R17.43.
The price of Brent Crude oil rose from $16.70 a barrel in 1995 to $67.95 this year – a 307% increase. But the cost of landing petrol in South Africa went up by 1,728%.
Other costs such as transport, storage and taxes also climbed by more than 800%.
One big reason is that South Africa now brings in more ready-made petrol from overseas instead of refining its own.
In 2014, local refineries made about 703,000 barrels of fuel a day. By 2025, that number dropped to just 250,000.
Refineries have closed because they are too old and too costly to fix. Meanwhile, demand keeps rising.
Pictured above: A woman filling up at a petrol station.
Image source: Pexels
