No VAT hike but consumers still feel the pinch
JOHANNESBURG - After two delays, the much-anticipated 2025 Budget Speech was finally delivered this week.
While headlines focused on the scrapped VAT hike, South African consumers may still be in for a financial squeeze.
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The South African
19 minutes ago
- The South African
The far-too-early petrol price forecast for July looks GOOD
The very early data suggests that more good news lies ahead for South Africa's motorists in July 2025. Vehicle owners in South Africa saw a sizeable decrease in the cost of both petrol and diesel last week. Should the rand continue to strengthen against the dollar and the brent crude oil price not rise above its current levels, there could well be more reason to cheer in three weeks' time. Below, the latest projections as received by The South African website from the Central Energy Fund (CEF), effective Tuesday, 10 June. FUEL PRICE CHANGE Petrol 93 decrease of 19 cents Petrol 95 decrease of 16 cents Diesel 0.05% decrease of 25 cents Diesel 0.005% decrease of 24 cents Illuminating Paraffin decrease of 35 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 19 cents is expected for petrol 93 octane motorists and a decrease of 16 cents for 95 users. Meanwhile, diesel motorists would see something between a 24 and 25 cents per litre decrease. Finally, illuminating paraffin is expected to drop by 35 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 $66.95 a barrel. Exchange rate At the time of publishing the rand/dollar exchange rate is R17.71/$. 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, 1 July 2025. Go easy on the accelerator until then, Mzansi. INLAND June Petrol 93 R21.24 Petrol 95 R21.35 Diesel 0.05% R18.53 Diesel 0.005% R18.57 Illuminating Paraffin R12.49 COASTAL June Petrol 93 R20.45 Petrol 95 R20.56 Diesel 0.05% R17.70 Diesel 0.005% R17.81 Illuminating Paraffin R11.47 Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
22 minutes ago
- The South African
Helen Zille's strategic move for Johannesburg mayor
Helen Zille has until 15 June 2025 to submit her name for the DA's Johannesburg mayoral candidacy. Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng chair Solly Msimanga confirmed the cut-off and said no late entries will be accepted. Zille informed BusinessTech that she is 'moving in that direction,' but she has not yet made a decision. She stressed how important it is to resolve the problems with governance in Johannesburg, which she calls 'very broken' on SABC NEWS. The mayor of Johannesburg, Dada Morero, said that the city's infrastructure needs R200 billion more than it has. The city's yearly operating budget is R86 billion. Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku, the Democratic Alliance (DA)'s Johannesburg caucus leader, spoke out against the city's budget, saying that water and electricity services were not getting enough funding due to the backlog. Helen Zille stressed the need to stabilise the city's finances to keep the economy from collapsing. Since the 2021 local government elections, the African National Congress (ANC) has had more seats on the council in Johannesburg than the DA. Political analyst Professor Theo Neethling asserts that a high degree of political turbulence characterises Johannesburg's coalitions. Herman Mashaba, the leader of ActionSA, said on eNCA that Zille's candidature shows that the party doesn't trust Black leaders. Sasabona Manganye, the secretary of the African National Congress (ANC) in Johannesburg, says that the Democratic Alliance (DA) is to blame for the city's financial challenges. Zille said that her opponents would use race politics to stop her. But she plans to focus on poverty instead of division. All parties agree that Joburg has serious structural problems. Zille has a lot of experience in the metro, but she needs to get coalition partners and the city's trust. Analysts believe that a new mayor would need to be politically smart and have the power to make changes. If she meets the 15 June deadline, her candidacy could change the Democratic Alliance (DA)'s position in Johannesburg. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news
The Citizen
2 hours ago
- The Citizen
Omoda C9 review: Powerful hybrid SUV delivers impressive performance and efficiency
Blasting onto South African shores with 440kW and 915N.m, the C9 PHEV spearheads Omoda's local new-energy vehicle offensive. CAR Magazine samples the new C9 flagship in Gauteng. First impressions here… Looking for your next new or used vehicle? Find it here with CARmag! Fast facts: Omoda C9 PHEV Price: R999 000 Powertrain: 1.5l, four-cylinder, turbopetrol + electric motors Transmission: three-speed DHT Driven wheels: Four Power: 440kW Torque: 915N.m Top speed: N/a 0-100 km/h: 4.9 seconds* Fuel consumption: 1.4l/100km CO 2 emissions: N/a *Claimed figures What are we driving? Launched alongside the Jaecoo J7 SHS (Super Hybrid System), which we sampled before its official South African launch, we are driving the Omoda C9 PHEV. Positioned as the new flagship in Omoda SA's C9 lineup, the PHEV derivative spearheads the Chinese marque's new-energy vehicle (NEV) offensive. The C9 PHEV (or SHS, the namesake that will replace 'PHEV' to align with the plug-in hybrid Jaecoo's) employs a 1.5l, four-cylinder turbopetrol engine and a quartet of electric motors. The PHEV arrangement produces a total system output of 440kW and 915N.m. Delivered to all four corners via a three-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT), the automaker says these figures allow the C9 PHEV to complete the 0-100km/h sprint in 4.9 seconds. Omoda claims an average fuel consumption of 1.4l/100km when the battery is replenished and a still-impressive 6.9l/100km when the 34.5kWh item is discharged. Capable of accepting up to 70kW at a DC fast charging station, the firm says a 30 to 80% DC charge takes between 20 and 25 minutes. Noteworthy, the PHEV setup offers claimed electric-only driving of up to 150km and a combined operating range of 1 100km. Exclusively available in top-tier, Explore level of specification, the C9 PHEV is generously equipped as standard. The package includes such items as (deep breath) 12.3-inch digital instrumentation and touchscreen infotainment, the latter incorporating Apple CarPlay/Android Auto screen mirroring; 50W wireless smartphone charging; a 12-speaker Sony sound system; dual-zone climate control with rear air-con; electrically adjustable heated/ventilated front pews; heated rear seats, replete with reclining function, and multifunction steering wheel; a surround-view camera array supplemented by fore and aft park distance sensors; and a panoramic sunroof. Safety items include seven airbags, Isofix child-seat anchorages and a bouquet of advanced driver assistance systems. The latter includes adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, lane-change assist and automatic emergency braking, among other features. The cabin is spacious, with fore and aft occupants afforded plenty of head- and kneeroom. Omoda claims a luggage capacity of 660l, which expands to 1 783l when folding down the rear seatbacks. However, it is worth mentioning that the 2.0TGDI 400T AWD derivative, which has the same claimed boot/utility capacity, swallowed 328/1 068l worth of our ISO blocks when evaluated for our December 2024 road test. Related: Review: Jaecoo J7 SHS (PHEV) What are the Omoda C9 PHEV's rivals? The new-energy C9's PHEV rivals come in the shape of the (SA-built) BMW X3 30e xDrive, which we sampled at the local launch in 2025, and Volvo XC60 T8 Recharge, priced from R1 260 000 and R1 314 000, respectively. As a reminder, the plug-in hybrid X3's petrol-electric powertrain comprises a 140kW/310N.m, 2l, four-cylinder turbopetrol and 135kW/250N.m electric motor for a combined system output of 220kW and 450N.m. The X3 30e's average fuel consumption and electric-only operating range are a claimed 1.1l/100km and 90km. BMW quotes a 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.2 seconds and 215km/h top speed for its new-generation new-energy X3. The Volvo XC60 T8 Recharge's 233kW/400N.m, 2l, four-cylinder super- and turbocharged petrol internal combustion engine is assisted by a 107kW/309N.m electric motor. The Gothenburg-based brand's midsize plug-in hybrid SUV produces peak power and torque outputs of 340kW and 709N.m for a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.8 seconds, making it one-tenth of a second quicker to the three-figure marker than the car driven here, and 180km/h top speed. Related: Review: BMW X3 30e xDrive What is the Omoda C9 PHEV like to drive? Stepping inside (via standard-fitment keyless entry), the C9 PHEV's Nappa leather-upholstered cabin is a comfortable place sit. Perceived interior build quality is good and contributes to the Omoda's impressive levels of NVH suppression. The C9 PHEV is a comfortable drive, with its suspension setup soaking up most road imperfections with aplomb. The steering is generally direct. However, the calibration of the setup would benefit from more weight as it feels a touch too light and void of feedback at low-speed manoeuvring and when pushing on. Noteworthy, the C9 PHEV doesn't seem to suffer from the throttle calibration issues we've previously experienced in several other Chinese vehicles. The drivetrain delivers power to all four corners in a smooth fashion. A brief stop at Gerotek allowed us to test this C9's straight-line performance. Admittedly, this is not what the C9 PHEV was built for. Yet, considering its performance SUV-matching outputs and claimed 0-100km/h sprint time, we were keen to test just how it performs in the acceleration stakes. The powertrain exhibited some latency off the line and, as impressive as the C9 PHEV's outputs are on paper, it curiously didn't quite feel like there's 440kW/915N.m on hand. However, the Omoda is plenty quick and overtaking on the motorway is fuss-free. Related: Review: Omoda C9 AWD Explore Verdict Featuring a solidly constructed, capacious and tech-laden cabin, easy-to-drive characteristics, road-holding manners and admirable fuel economy, the C9 PHEV ticks a lot of boxes. Though, from first impressions, it doesn't feel as powerful as the outputs on its spec sheet would suggest. However, that's not what it was built for; it was made to offer the driver and occupants an exceptionally comfortable driving experience. And the Omoda majors in this. Browse thousands of new and used vehicles here with CARmag! The post Review: Omoda C9 PHEV appeared first on CAR Magazine. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.
