According to a statement released by the Automobile
Association (AA) on June 30, petrol and illuminating paraffin prices are set
for a second consecutive month of price decreases when fuel prices are
officially adjusted on July 5, while diesel is expected to increase.
This is according to the latest unaudited data from the
Central Energy Fund (CEF).
AA said, “The breakdown of the data shows that the average
exchange rate used in the basic fuel price decreased over June from around
R19.50 to the US Dollar to around R18.80 to the USD, which accounts for most of
the petrol price decrease. However, the movement in international oil prices is
impacting negatively on diesel, contributing significantly to its expected
increase.”
According to the data, both grades of petrol are expected to
decrease by between 17c/litre and 25c/l, while diesel is expected to increase
by around 20c/litre. Illuminating paraffin is set for a marginal decrease of
three cents a litre.
“A decrease to the price of petrol is naturally welcome news
and will provide some relief to embattled consumers. The increase to diesel,
though, means input costs in, amongst other sectors, the agricultural and
manufacturing sectors, are also likely to increase which may result in higher
prices for consumers,” notes the AA.
