logo
July fuel price confirmed - Here's what it means for your wallet

July fuel price confirmed - Here's what it means for your wallet

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources released the official fuel price for July 2025. The changes will take effect on Wednesday, 2 July.
Petrol 93 and 95 will increase by 55 and 52 cents per litre respectively. Diesel 0.05% and 0.005% will hike by 82 and 84 cents per litre in wholesale price. Illuminating Paraffin will increase by 67 cents and 89 cents per litre.
The department said the rand appreciated against the US Dollar in June, which led to a lower contribution to the Basic Fuel Prices.
The fuel price increase is attributed to the average Brent Crude oil price increasing from 63.95 to 69.36 US Dollars. The main contributing factor is the recent tension in the Middle East, which raised fears of potential crude oil supply disruptions.
The average international petroleum product prices followed the increasing trend of crude oil prices. The department said this led to higher contributions to the Basic Fuel Prices. However, the prices of Propane and Butane decreased slightly.
The fuel price increase comes after the latest Household Affordability Index found that zero-rated foods in the household food basket increased by 4.1% in the year to June. The report compiled by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group tracks the monthly prices of basic foods across the country.
As a result, many South African have taken to social media to express anger about the price hike, saying they are already struggling to make ends meet.
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
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Major vehicle assembly plant opens up in Durban
Major vehicle assembly plant opens up in Durban

The South African

timean hour ago

  • The South African

Major vehicle assembly plant opens up in Durban

A popular car manufacturer has opened its largest vehicle assembly in South Africa, right along the sunny shores of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Mahindra South Africa officially inaugurated its new vehicle assembly plant on 12 August at Durban's Dube TradePort's Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The launch marks a major expansion in the country's automotive manufacturing landscape. This purpose-built facility, adjacent to Mahindra's original 2018 assembly site, replaces the semi-knocked-down (SKD) setup and enables full nuts-and-bolts assembly of the Pik Up range (both single- and double-cab variants). With capacity to assemble over 1 000 vehicles per month, the plant is designed for flexibility and future growth, including accommodating new models and increasing local component sourcing. The launch was attended by eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development Musa Zondi, Mahindra South Africa CEO Rajesh Gupta, and other dignitaries. Mayor Xaba described the move as a new chapter in local manufacturing, particularly in the automotive sector. This new Durban plant also coincides with Mahindra entering its third decade in South Africa. 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.

Google rolls out 'Preferred Sources' for Top Stories in Search
Google rolls out 'Preferred Sources' for Top Stories in Search

The South African

time2 hours ago

  • The South African

Google rolls out 'Preferred Sources' for Top Stories in Search

Google is rolling out a new feature that allows users to personalise their news experience by selecting which outlets they want to see more frequently in the Top Stories section of Search. The feature, called Preferred Sources, launched on Tuesday in the United States and India, with wider availability expected over the coming days – including in South Africa. Preferred Sources enables users to choose one or more trusted publications they'd like to prioritise when Google surfaces news results. When a selected outlet has fresh, relevant coverage of a topic being searched, it will appear more prominently in a newly introduced 'From your sources' section within Top Stories. 'The goal is to help you stay up to date on the latest content from the sites you follow and subscribe to,' said Duncan Osborn, Product Manager at Google. Despite the added personalisation, Google emphasises that Top Stories will remain diverse, continuing to highlight a mix of outlets to ensure a range of perspectives. To activate the feature: Search for a current news topic Tap the three-dot icon next to the 'Top Stories' header Search for and select your preferred news outlets Refresh the page to see updated results Users can update their selections at any time. Those who participated in early Labs testing will find that their saved preferences carry over automatically. For readers, Preferred Sources offers a simple way to cut through noise and focus on news from outlets they trust. During early testing, over half of participants selected four or more sources, indicating a desire for tailored content while maintaining variety. For publishers, the feature presents a direct path to visibility for loyal readers. News organisations can now encourage subscribers and followers to add their site as a preferred source, increasing their chances of appearing in personalised search results when they publish relevant content. Google has released support documentation to help publishers guide audiences through the setup process and promote the new capability. Preferred Sources is part of Google's broader effort to give users greater control over their search experience, without compromising on the breadth of information or viewpoints available in Top Stories. For publishers, the update underscores the importance of building loyalty and retention through consistent, quality coverage, newsletters, and user engagement strategies. As the news ecosystem continues to evolve, Preferred Sources may prove to be a key tool for both readers and journalists looking to make meaningful connections through search. First established in 2003, The South African has evolved to become one of the most-read websites in South Africa. We bring you the latest breaking news updates, from South Africa and the African continent. The South African is an independent, no agenda and no bias online news disruptor that goes beyond the news and behind the headlines. We believe what sets us apart is that we deliver news differently. While we hold ourselves to the utmost journalistic integrity of being truthful, we encourage a writing style that is acerbic and conversational, when appropriate. The South African has evolved rapidly and is ranked among the largest online news publications in South Africa by the IAB. Having started as a print edition targeting expats in the United Kingdom, The South African is now run entirely online with our largest readership footprint based in South Africa. We are independently owned by a private company with no affiliation to any other media group (or political party or religious organisation) and funded mainly through advertising revenue. 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.

SA's vital marine manufacturing industry faces existential threat from new US tariffs
SA's vital marine manufacturing industry faces existential threat from new US tariffs

Daily Maverick

time19 hours ago

  • Daily Maverick

SA's vital marine manufacturing industry faces existential threat from new US tariffs

Almost $10-billion worth of South African goods exported annually to the United States are now subject to a 30% 'reciprocal' tariff. This move not only threatens production and job losses in local manufacturing and agriculture, but also affects the maritime sector as the provider of transport and logistics that moves these locally produced goods and raw materials to export markets. The overall impact will reshape South Africa's maritime trade flows as the country's goods become less competitive in the US, especially compared with suppliers in countries with lower tariffs. The new tariffs mainly target manufactured goods, including vehicles and components, machinery and equipment, and leisure craft, which have higher value added, while key mining commodities are exempt — effectively derailing South Africa's export-focused industrial growth path. This extends to the marine manufacturing sector, as South Africa's boat and yacht builders that export almost a third of their production to the US — their most important market that was previously duty free under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) — are now also subject to the 30% tariff. Jobs and future investment at risk This has an immediate impact on the competitiveness of the South African marine manufacturing sector, putting jobs and future investment at risk in a growing, highly export-oriented sector that is considered one of the keys to unlocking SA's maritime economic potential. A near-collapse of South African vehicle exports to the US since the tariff hikes were first announced in April, with an 87% drop over three months, compared with Q2: 2024, is among the first signals of the impact on manufacturing production and exports. Reduced exports mean lower shipping volumes from South African ports to the US, affecting the capacity utilisation and revenues of the container and vehicle shipping lines that serve these routes. The only shipping line currently providing direct sailings from SA ports to the US east coast (Mediterranean Shipping Company, MSC) told Freight News that it would be maintaining its dedicated SA-US service of four vessels currently in weekly rotation, despite the potential impact of the tariffs on trade volumes. Logic, however, suggests that the number of vessels and/or frequency of sailings of any shipping line on a particular route are likely to be reduced if these are not sailing at capacity as the service becomes less profitable. Logistics bottlenecks and congestion at South African ports, a situation now slowly improving, have resulted in several shipping lines reducing their local ports of call in recent years, or excluding SA's ports altogether. Reduced export volumes as a result of the US tariffs may make South Africa an even less attractive destination to service, further reducing access to shipping capacity, and thus limiting the ability of SA manufacturers and other producers to secure new export business. For exporters, the challenge is not only producing the right goods at the right price, but also delivering them on time at a landed price not excessively inflated by import duties. While the impact of the US tariffs must accelerate efforts to seek new export markets, securing new business and complying with myriad associated regulations is not an overnight process; particularly in a global trading environment that now encourages isolationism and protectionism following the lead of the US. When those new markets are secured, the capacity to ship to them needs to be in place — in other words, we cannot afford to lose the confidence of the global shipping industry nor the capacity of our ports to handle cargo. Declining exports would lead to reduced throughput at South African ports and reduced capacity utilisation, which affects their global rankings and ability to attract shipping lines and generate revenue through port dues. Ports need to be busy, moving volumes at scale, which facilitates imports and competitiveness, enabling cost-effective exports and access for South African producers to global markets. Increased tariffs and trade barriers cause delays, cancellations and disruptions in maritime shipments, leading to higher insurance claims and logistical challenges for cargo insurers and shipping companies. All of these challenges in reduced volumes of trade and reduced export capacity would in turn affect employment in our ports, in the maritime logistics and transport value chain, and in the surrounding network of suppliers and service providers to the maritime sector. Marine manufacturing The SA boat-building industry, primarily focused on leisure craft, has shown impressive growth of over 20% annually in the years following Covid-19. South Africa is the world's second largest producer of catamarans, after France, with more than 90% of our leisure craft exported — and 29% of production exported to the US, which is SA's largest market valued at approximately R1.6-billion in 2024. These exports to the US were duty free under Agoa, which has now been nullified by the imposition of the 30% reciprocal tariff, placing a R3-billion industry that supports up to 10,000 jobs, under existential threat. The sector is characterised by high input and operating costs. Given that aluminium and steel are critical components and inputs in the construction of boats and superyachts, the imposition of the additional 50% tariff on these materials will further harm the sector's competitiveness in the US market. High-value exports stifled The US tariffs are reshaping South Africa's economy and maritime trade by stifling high-value exports, increasing costs for importers and redirecting cargo flows towards exempted raw materials — negating the drive for local beneficiation of raw materials to shift the proportion of exports to higher value finished goods. The US is South Africa's third-largest overall trading partner, after the European Union and China. However, the EU and the US are arguably more important markets than China, as they are destinations for diversified, high value-added manufactured goods, supporting local employment, while exports to China and other BRICS countries are largely low margin, unbeneficiated raw materials and a small basket of agricultural products. Strategies to support local manufacturing and pursue alternative markets, including boosting intra-Africa trade through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and leveraging BRICS membership to unlock higher value trade, must incorporate measures to incentivise the local processing of minerals and other resources. While the government continues negotiations with the US towards a mutually beneficial trade deal, the announcement earlier this week by the ministers of Trade, Industry and Competition, and International Relations and Cooperation, of an Economic Response Package to assist businesses affected by the tariffs is most welcome. We trust that the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition's newly formed Export Support Desk will support not only businesses in manufacturing in finding and accessing new markets, but also those in maritime transport and logistics sectors adapting to altered volumes and trade flows. Businesses seeking to enter new markets will also need support in ensuring that shipping routes and capacity are available to service new destinations, and meeting logistics and policy requirements of those new markets. DM

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store