By Nthambeleni Gabara

Recent hefty fuel price hikes prompted Energy Minister Dipuo Peters to urge South Africans to be economical in their fuel use and creative in finding ways to ease the impact of the increases.

From midnight on Tuesday, the retail price of 95-octane petrol will increase by 71 cents in Gauteng province and 66 cents at the coast, while the retail price of diesel (0.05 percent sulphur) will rise by 51.9 cents in Gauteng at 47.6 cents at the coast.

The wholesale price of illuminating paraffin will increase by 20.6 cents at the coast, and by 26.6 cents in Gauteng.

Peters encouraged South Africans to be economical in their fuel use, while taking steps to ease the impact of the fuel prices increases. “You are encouraged to prioritise fuel efficiency in all your daily activities with the aim of reducing fuel consumption. Avoid speeding, and use public transport whenever it is practically possible to do so.”

Peters said the use of lift clubs could go a long way in reducing people’s transport costs.

CitySearch suggests some easy strategies for saving fuel:

• Drive at the speed limit – speedier driving uses more fuel
• Make sure your car has been serviced recently for optimum performance
• Keep your tyres pumped at the correct pressure for your car
• Start a lift club with friends or colleagues
• Encourage overseas visitors to take the Gautrain and pick them up from the station closest to you – the saving in time and fuel is remarkable
• See if your company will allow you to work from home a few days a week or more
• If possible, arrange alternative working hours so that you’re not driving at peak traffic times every day
• If you work from home, set up meeting times with clients for after or before peak hour traffic – there’s no need for everyone to be on the roads at the same time
• Don’t drive there if you can walk there
• Try to conduct business meetings on the phone or Skype instead of driving, especially if the time it takes to get there is longer than the meeting will be

For more on Nthambeleni Gabara’s story, click here.

‘Not within our power to prevent’

“These increases are not within the government’s powers to prevent,” Peters said, noting that, as a non-oil producing country, South Africa was a price taker and depended on imports.

“Fuel prices are dictated by issues such as global political developments among oil producing countries and the big economies of the world.

“While global developments and activity are more promising than a year ago, other issues such as the tensions between the United States of America and some of the oil producing countries have contributed to higher crude prices.”

Local factors affecting fuel prices include the annual 20 cents and 8 cents per litre increase in the Fuel Levy and Road Accident Fund respectively, announced by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in his Budget speech in February, as well as the Transnet pipeline tariff increase.

Source: BuaNews