The petrol price is set to end the year just under 10% worse off than where it started, with motorists having a much easier time at the pumps of late.
On Wednesday (2 December), the price of fuel will rise by a single cent, following an announcement by the Department of Energy on Friday.
South African motorists kicked off the year on a high note, with petrol prices down R1.23 lower from December 2014 at R11.02 and R11.24 for 93 and 95 fuel, respectively.
Over the next 11 months saw an even split between increases and decreases in the petrol price, with five months of increases and five months of decreases, and one month showing no change.
However, in monetary terms, increases have been greater overall in 2015, with the final difference between petrol prices from January to December 2015 being R1.07 – or 9.7% – greater (R1.16 more for 95 and R0.53 more for diesel).
The collapse of the global oil price in the first quarter of the year gave South Africa – and the world – some much needed breathing room.
Unfortunately, much of that breathing room has been undone by South Africa’s poor economic performance over the course of the year, which has pushed the rand to its worst ever numbers against the US dollar.
| Month | 93 ULP Price | Change (cents) | 95 ULP Price | Change (cents) | Diesel 0.05% Sulphur Price | Change (cents) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | R11.02 | -123 | R11.24 | -123 | R10.28 | -104 |
| February | R10.09 | -93 | R10.31 | -93 | R9.26 | -102 |
| March | R11.05 | +96 | R11.27 | +96 | R10.00 | +74 |
| April | R12.61 | +156 | R12.89 | +162 | R11.23 | +123 |
| May | R12.61 | 0 | R12.89 | 0 | R11.18 | -5 |
| June | R13.08 | +47 | R13.36 | +47 | R11.67 | +49 |
| July | R13.52 | +44 | R13.77 | +41 | R11.71 | +4 |
| August | R13.01 | -51 | R13.16 | -61 | R10.95 | -76 |
| September | R12.32 | -69 | R12.57 | -69 | R10.41 | -54 |
| October | R12.30 | -2 | R12.61 | +4 | R10.94 | +53 |
| November | R12.08 | -22 | R12.39 | -22 | R10.85 | -9 |
| December | R12.09 | +1 | R12.40 | +1 | R10.81 | -4 |
| Jan/Dec difference | +R1.07 | +R1.16 | +R0.53 |
According to research from Solidarity, the 2015 price for 93 unleaded petrol has been below 2014 levels all year.
| Month | 2014 price | 2015 price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | R13.36 | R11.02 | -R2.34 |
| February | R13.75 | R10.09 | -R3.66 |
| March | R14.11 | R11.05 | -R3.06 |
| April | R14.16 | R12.61 | -R1.55 |
| May | R14.01 | R12.61 | -R1.40 |
| June | R13.79 | R13.08 | -R0.71 |
| July | R14.08 | R13.52 | -R0.56 |
| August | R14.08 | R13.01 | -R1.07 |
| September | R13.66 | R12.32 | -R1.34 |
| October | R13.61 | R12.30 | -R1.31 |
| November | R13.16 | R12.08 | -R1.08 |
| December | R12.47 | R12.09 | -R0.38 |
| Average | R13.69 | R12.15 | -R1.54 |
The average price of petrol in 2015 (R12.15) is R1.54 lower than in 2014 (R13.69).
The last time the country saw anything close to this was in 1987, in which April, May and June saw no change in price, and the rest of the year saw lower prices.
More recently, in 2009, the same trend was seen except for December 2009, which was higher than December 2008.
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