The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources announced the October fuel price changes, effective Wednesday 7 October (IOL, Carmag, SAnews, BusinessTech, SA People). Petrol 95 rises R3.33 a litre and petrol 93 rises R3.12. Inland 95 petrol moves to R30.25 a litre and the coastal price to R29.38. Wholesale 0.05% diesel rises R2.84 and 0.005% diesel rises R3.24 (one outlet reported R3.58). The department blamed an average Brent rise from US$87.89 to US01 a barrel, plus shipping costs and lower global stocks. The Self-Adjusting Slate Levy increases to 87.66 cents a litre from 83.28 cents.
Fuel feeds into almost every price in a country that moves most goods by road. Food, taxis and delivery costs follow with a lag, and the increase arrives four weeks before local elections, which makes cost of living a campaign issue.
If you drive, a 50-litre tank of 95 will cost roughly R165 more from Wednesday, on the reported figures. Fill up on Tuesday if you can. Expect taxi fares and delivery fees to creep up over the next few weeks.
Government says the rise follows global oil prices and the Strait of Hormuz disruption, which it cannot control, and the slate levy only smooths what would otherwise be sharper moves.
Critics note that the general fuel levy, the Road Accident Fund levy and the carbon levy still make up over R6 of each litre of petrol, so the state could cushion the blow if it chose to.
Watch the mid-October data from the Central Energy Fund. If Brent stays near US00 and the rand holds around R16.60, November brings another rise. If Hormuz news improves, that could flip quickly. DailyDrop will report the first read-out when it appears.
IOL, Carmag, SAnews, BusinessTech, SA People, Central Energy Fund release (2-5 Oct 2026)
Economy · FuelPress ✓ 5 outlets · rates per the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources
Inland petrol passes R30 a litre on Wednesday after a R3.33 October hike
Brent crude averaged about US$101 a barrel in the review period, up from US$87.89. Diesel rises by R2.84 to R3.24 a litre, and the slate levy edges higher.
The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources set the October fuel adjustments, which take effect on Wednesday 7 October, according to IOL, Carmag, SAnews and BusinessTech. Petrol 95 goes up by R3.33 a litre and petrol 93 by R3.12. Inland, 95-octane petrol reaches R30.25 a litre in Gauteng, and R29.38 at the coast, based on the reports. A year ago the inland price was R21.63. Wholesale diesel with 0.05% sulphur rises by R2.84 a litre. The 0.005% grade rises by R3.24 a litre in most reports, although one outlet gave R3.58, so DailyDrop uses the majority figure.
The department put the increase down to the average Brent crude price rising from US$87.89 to US$101 a barrel over the review period, with higher shipping costs and falling global stocks also cited. The Central Energy Fund, which publishes the daily under- and over-recovery data, flagged the direction in its 2 October release. The Self-Adjusting Slate Levy rises from 83.28 to 87.66 cents a litre, adding 4.38 cents to petrol and diesel. Rio Times and SA People both call the petrol rise a record. DailyDrop has not seen a comparison table from the department, so it does not repeat that label as its own. Retail diesel is expected to land between about R33 and R35 depending on the forecourt.
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By the numbers
R3.33increase in 95 petrol per litre from Wednesday (IOL, Carmag)
R30.25inland 95 price per litre in Gauteng (IOL, Gauteng.net)
US$101average Brent price in the review period, from US$87.89 (department)
The rand closed Friday at about R16.64 per dollar (Rio Times), 0.33% firmer on the day but down about 2.2% on the week, its fourth consecutive weekly loss. Reuters (via Engineering News and Polity) had it at 16.6825 early Monday, about 0.2% weaker than the previous close. The Satrix 40 ETF rose 0.81% to R102.77 and Capitec gained 4.4%; Glencore, Anglo American and BHP also advanced. No official All Share close was confirmed. US non-farm payrolls rose 29,000 against about 90,000 expected, which pushed the dollar lower.
The rand is the quickest read on how the world sees South Africa. Four weekly losses ahead of a fuel price rise and an election add pressure on import costs and on the Reserve Bank.
A weaker rand makes fuel, electronics and holiday travel dearer. It helps exporters and holders of offshore assets. Nothing changes overnight, but the pattern matters for budgeting.
Friday showed the rand can bounce when the dollar softens, so the trend is not one-way.
A fourth weekly loss, with oil near US00 and an election ahead, argues for caution about a quick recovery.
The rand moves on US data, oil and local risk. Monday brings the S&P Global PMI and the first trading since the fuel announcement. DailyDrop will watch whether R16.70 holds.
Rio Times, Reuters via Engineering News and Polity, Semafor (2-5 Oct 2026)
Markets · South AfricaPress ✓ 3 outlets · rand levels per Rio Times and Reuters
Rand ends a fourth straight weekly loss at about R16.64 as weak US jobs data lifts miners on the JSE
The rand closed at about R16.64 to the dollar on Friday 2 October, stronger by 0.33% on the day from R16.70, but it still lost around 2.2% over the week, its fourth weekly loss in a row, according to the Rio Times. Reuters, carried by Engineering News and Polity, put the rand at 16.6825 in early trade on Monday, about 0.2% weaker than the previous close, which implies a Friday close near R16.65. The two sources differ by a cent.
The Satrix 40 exchange-traded fund, which tracks the Top 40, gained 0.81% to R102.77 on Friday. Capitec rebounded 4.4% to R4,372.69, and Glencore, Anglo American and BHP rose. DailyDrop could not confirm an official All Share closing level from the JSE or two outlets, so the left-hand ear box shows a dash. The Rio Times said the All Share traded near 108,200 to 108,300 on Monday morning, an unofficial estimate. The lift came after US payrolls rose by only 29,000 in September.
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Word of the day
Exchange-traded fundMarketsA fund that trades on the stock exchange like a share and mirrors an index, such as the Top 40.