South Africa on strike against new fuel prices

África do Sul em greve contra novos preços de combustíveis

Carriers of people and goods in South Africa last night began a hitherto peaceful protest against the new fuel price adjustment that took effect today, after it was announced on Tuesday by the country's Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE).

"Things have escalated very quickly. You are advised not to travel anywhere today," said a source.

MZNews understands that traffic on the main avenues of Johannesburg, Kwazulo Natal and almost all of Nelspruit is disrupted. Horse trucks are parked transversely on the roads preventing the circulation from south to north and vice versa.

In Nelspruit, the interception near a Sasol oil station is blocked for a length of at least two kilometers.

"Roads to Mbombela blocked by protesting taxi drivers/ Roads to Mbombela blocked by protesting transport drivers," reads the headline on a portal in that country, which also reports the activation of the Lowveld Joint Security Operations Command (JOC) due to the protests and blockades of several roads around that city.

The DMRE announced an average price increase of 2.30 rand per liter (about 10.58 meticais) for all fuel variants. And LP gas will go down by 2.18 rand per kilogram (about 10.02 meticais). The price increase for vehicle fuels was 10.6%, setting a new record.

Lighting oil, which is also used for cooking by people who do not have access to electricity in that country, increased 2.21 rand per liter (10.16 meticais).

But also, this protest is due to the fact that the South African state intends to reduce the fuel subsidy. According to Bloomberg, "the 1.50 rand (6.9 meticals) reduction in the general fuel tax, applied from April, will be reduced to 75 cents (3.45 meticals) from July 6 and will be withdrawn from August 3.

Fuel has a weight of almost five percent in South Africa's consumer price basket.

The increases will put further pressure on household finances and inflation, which last May exceeded the South African central bank's optimal range limit for the first time in five years.

Share this article

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.