Here's the latest petrol forecast for June: Rand strengthens, oil more expensive
While the latest available data still shows that good news lies ahead for South Africa's motorists in early June, the picture is worsening as each day passes.
With two weeks to go until the new prices come into effect, there is, sadly, every chance that fuel costs may actually increase at the pumps next month.
Vehicle owners in Mzansi saw a sizeable decrease in the cost of both petrol and diesel earlier this month.
This was mainly due to a lower brent crude oil price and a stronger rand.
However, in recent days, the oil price has risen after reports that Israel was preparing an attack on Iran, while the rand has strengthened ahead of Cyril Ramaphosa's meeting with Donald Trump and the Budget speech finally set to take place on Wednesday afternoon.
Below, the latest projections as received by The South African website from the Central Energy Fund (CEF), effective Tuesday, 20 May. FUEL PRICE CHANGE Petrol 93 decrease of 23 cents Petrol 95 decrease of 22 cents Diesel 0.05% decrease of 49 cents Diesel 0.005% decrease of 50 cents Illuminating Paraffin decrease of 53 cents
If the market conditions were to remain consistent for the remainder of the month – an unlikely scenario with the rand/dollar exchange rate fluctuating and the oil price ever changing – a decrease of 23 cents is expected for petrol 93 octane motorists and a decrease of 22 cents for 95 users.
Meanwhile, diesel motorists would see something between a 49 and 50 cents per litre decrease.
Finally, illuminating paraffin is expected to drop by 53 cents in price. FUEL PRICE IN SOUTH AFRICA IMPACTED BY TWO MAIN FACTORS:
1. The international price of petroleum products, driven mainly by oil prices
2. The rand/dollar exchange rate used in the purchase of these products
Oil price
At the time of publishing the brent crude oil price is $66.05 a barrel.
Exchange rate
At the time of publishing the rand/dollar exchange rate is R17.92/$.
The final overall price changes for both petrol and diesel will be confirmed early next month with the new prices taking effect at midnight on Tuesday, 3 June 2025.
Go easy on the accelerator until then, Mzansi. INLAND May Petrol 93 R21.29 Petrol 95 R21.40 Diesel 0.05% R18.90 Diesel 0.005% R18.94 Illuminating Paraffin R13.05 COASTAL May Petrol 93 R20.50 Petrol 95 R20.61 Diesel 0.05% R18.11 Diesel 0.005% R18.18 Illuminating Paraffin R12.05
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These include a deconstruction of the false charge that Leon's father had been responsible for sentencing the ANC operative Solomon Mahlangu to death years ago. In particular, Leon's experiences as an ambassador in Argentina during the desperate days in that country's last (so far) Peronista regime are particularly interesting, as Leon positions them as a cautionary tale of what happens when a country augers towards the ground economically and politically. Of special interest to this reader (because of his own experiences) were Leon's non-specialist but trenchant observations on Japan after visiting there. Japan has surmounted its World War 2 experience (and managed to put much of the resulting horrors aside), even as it continues to embrace many ancient traditions together with its contemporary political and economic policies designed for the benefit of a majority of its citizens. Beyond the book, our conversation also covered other topics, key among them being the current difficulties between the US and South Africa. I ask Leon who he thinks should be South Africa's ambassador to the US, or, perhaps, what kind of person should they be? Leon observes that the ambassadorial role has been diminished over the years (the recent presidents' meeting had no ambassadors present from either nation, as would usually have been the case in a meeting between two national presidents). Beyond the traditional diplomatic roles, more and more, Leon says, the job of an ambassador is to be their country's chief salesperson, instead of one of those old-style diplomats. Any new South African ambassador assigned to Washington will have a difficult policy to sell, especially given the two countries' Middle East positions. A key question now is that the Trumpian dog whistle to its Maga constituents is over DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and, by extension, over South Africa's Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment policies. Speculating in the immediate wake of the presidential meeting, he notes that the approach of a possible equity equivalent for Starlink operations in South Africa may lead to changing the discussion. (Of course, crime is something that is always in the air in any discussions about South Africa, and it came up in that presidents' meeting as well. It was instructive, per Leon, that rebuttals about crime in that meeting came from a white South African billionaire.) We turn to the often-repeated accusation that the DA has a problem with black leaders. Leon responds that it is unfair to call every black leader's departure from DA leadership roles a failure of black leadership in the party. People leave political bodies for many reasons. However, he adds that the party needs to make it easier and more enticing for expatriated South Africans to return to the country and make real contributions. What of the DA's future? Leon says he is most interested in matters of policy rather than party management, as he is no longer an officer-holder. He believes that by being in the GNU, the DA has improved its legitimacy and prospects with many people. Its participation in the GNU has made it more 'kosher,' so to speak, and it may well gain further traction. He thinks that if the DA can maintain this trend, it will grow even as the ANC continues to make further reversals in support. The key question, of course, is how he views South Africa's future. Leon argues that most countries, except for places like Afghanistan or Sudan, don't explode or disintegrate. He acknowledges that there still is a lot of ruin in South Africa, but citizen action is stepping forward wherever it can. Taken as a whole, Leon seems cautiously optimistic about the country's future prospects, regardless of its current problems and its challenges. DM
