The retail price of all grades of petrol will be increased by 39 cents per litre (c/l) on Wednesday May 3, the Department of Minerals and Energy said on Wednesday.
The wholesale price of diesel 0,05% sulphur and 0,005% sulphur will rise by 27c/l on the same date.
The wholesale price of illuminating paraffin will rise by 20c/l, while the single maximum national retail price of illuminating paraffin will be increased by 26c/l.
The latest changes bring the retail price of a litre of 95-octane unleaded petrol in Gauteng to R6,12 a litre and to R5,88 a litre at the coast.
During the period under review — March 31 to April 25 — the average international product prices of petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin increased.
The rand/dollar exchange rate strengthened compared with the previous period and averaged R6,0905 from R6,2600 in the previous period.
International
The rising oil prices is not only hitting hard in South Africa.
United States President George Bush, facing a summer of revolt from a nation that believes fiercely in its right to affordable petrol, on Tuesday unveiled plans to try to stop a rapid rise in prices at the pump.
In a speech to the Renewable Fuels Association in Washington, Bush acknowledged that the high prices — which have sharply accelerated the decline in his popularity — were hurting ordinary Americans as the holiday season approaches.
”Energy experts predict gas prices are going to remain high throughout the summer. And that’s going to be a continued strain on the American people,” he said.
Bush spoke on a day when his approval ratings hit a new trough of 32% in a CNN poll, and a day after the Republican leadership, worried at the impact of high petrol prices on November’s midterm elections, called on the White House to investigate possible price fixing. — I-Net Bridge, Guardian Unlimited Â