The fuel price adjustments hit of April 1 are not incremental shifts.
They are seismic jolts for millions of households already struggling to make ends meet, and small businesses trying to keep a few breadwinners on the payroll and the lights on as well.
Diesel has shot up by more than R7 per litre and petrol by roughly R3.06, despite a brief softening of the fuel levy for a month.
But even so, overall prices are substantially higher and set to climb.
Despite official noises about trying to ease pressure and possible considerations of further measures, this remains a short-term band-aid on a deep economic wound.
A wound that bleeds
For ordinary South Africans this is not an abstraction. These price changes are measured in the money that has vanished before they even get to work, buy groceries, or pay school fees.
The grocery bill squeezed again because transport costs have gone up. The business owner scratching for another 10% saving on a supply bill.
Fuel sits at the centre of almost every South African’s daily budget.
When petrol and diesel get more expensive, the impact ripples out fast. Diesel in particular matters for taxis, trucks, buses and delivery vehicles.
These latest increases place operators under intense strain.
According to the SA National Taxi Council, about 15 million commuters depend on minibus taxis every day to get to work, school and essential services.
That reliance is the reality of a country where public transport alternatives are unreliable, insufficient or simply do not exist in many communities.
Taxi associations are warning that the only way to keep services running is to adjust fares. Early reporting suggests increases of around R5 to R6 per trip could be on the table.
That may not sound like much in isolation, but for someone earning a modest income and already devoting a large share of their take-home pay to transport, this is a critical hit to household budgets.
Ride-hailing platforms such as Bolt have also raised fares in response to fuel pressures, adding another layer of cost for commuters who already budget tightly.
The problem is structural, not temporary. Fuel prices do not just respond to local conditions. They are tied to global oil markets, geopolitical tensions, and the strength or weakness of the rand.
Despite SA producing some of its energy domestically, it remains heavily exposed to imported petroleum price movements.
Squeezed at both ends
For small businesses, fuel is not just a household concern. It is a cost that feeds into every aspect of daily life.
Deliveries get more expensive, suppliers hike prices, logistics companies pass on fuel surcharges, and clients pay more.
Even industries that do not directly depend on transport are affected because input costs rise across the board.
Small businesses operate on tight margins and there is little room to absorb large cost increases without adjusting prices.
But in an economy where consumer spending is already under pressure, raising prices risks losing customers.
Clients cut back. Revenues decline. The sustainability of small business becomes more fragile.
This month’s levy cut was intended to slow the immediate spike, but it does not shield businesses from the underlying global drivers of price increases and does not prevent future hikes.
Political leaders are trying to buy time, not fix structural vulnerabilities.
This is a hard conclusion that we have just stumbled over, but it can, if you like, raise some interesting questions.
For example, is this moment pushing the world toward a future some parts have dragged their moaning feet on for decades, not just years?
One where electric vehicles and a reliable public transport system jolt into a heady new spot in our society’s list of priorities — dragged clanking from pale aspirational policy goals to shrieking economic necessities?
Could we divorce oil?
If we could uncouple our economy from volatile global oil prices, everyone from taxi operators to delivery drivers and commuters would be less exposed to these shocks.
If public transport such as well-managed trains and integrated bus systems were dependable and affordable, millions could escape the daily double-hit of rising fuel prices and rising taxi fares.
Yet both of these solutions require long-term planning, political will and investment.
South Africans feel the pressure at the pumps and in their pockets every day, before they even pay the rent or school fees.
Right now, the fuel crisis is not just about petrol and diesel costs. It is about people’s ability to keep their jobs, support their families, and remain economically active in a country already carrying too many burdens.
We need our leaders to start sketching some long-term visions we can all get behind.
• Bohlale Buzani is a business consultant and youth empowerment advocate, as well as a founding member of an award-winning SME in Mdantsane
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