Johannesburg – South African motorists will start 2026 with fuel price relief, as petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin prices decrease from Wednesday, 7 January 2026, following an announcement by Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe.
Petrol 93 will drop by 62 cents per litre, petrol 95 by 66 cents, diesel by R1.50 per litre, and illuminating paraffin by R1.10 per litre.
The single maximum national retail price for paraffin will fall by R1.48 per litre. However, LPG prices will increase by 21 cents per litre nationally and by 23 cents in the Western Cape.
The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources said the reductions are mainly driven by lower international crude oil and petroleum product prices, as well as exchange rate movements.
Brent crude oil prices declined from an average of $63.55 to $61.47 per barrel due to global oversupply caused by increased production from OPEC+ and non-OPEC producers.
Prices of diesel and paraffin fell more sharply because of higher winter inventories in the Northern Hemisphere. Meanwhile, propane and butane prices rose due to tighter global supply.
The department added that the slate levy remains unchanged at zero cents per litre, as the cumulative slate balance stood at a positive R3.3 billion at the end of November 2025.
“In line with the provisions of the Self-Adjusting Slate Levy Mechanism, the slate levy remains unchanged at zero cents per litre in the price structures of petrol and diesel with effect from the 7th of January 2026,” the department said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
