KwaNyuswa – ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has defended the government’s R10 billion fuel-levy relief package while campaigning in KwaNyuswa, KwaZulu-Natal, saying the intervention is aimed at easing the cost-of-living pressure facing South African households.
Mbalula made the remarks during an ANC door-to-door campaign, where party members engaged residents about their concerns ahead of the 4 November local government elections.
He said the relief announced by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana would help reduce pressure on motorists, commuters and households struggling with rising prices.
“The prices of paraffin, bread and other basic things have increased,” Mbalula said, arguing that lower fuel costs could help ease the wider cost of living.
The government announced the R10 billion package during the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement on Wednesday. The measures include a temporary reduction in the general fuel levy from 4 November, followed by smaller cuts in December and early January.
Mbalula rejected suggestions that the timing of the intervention was intended to win votes ahead of the elections.
“This is not vote buying,” he said, according to YFM’s report on his response to the fuel-relief announcement.
Under the plan announced by Godongwana, the diesel levy will be reduced by R3 per litre and the petrol levy by R1.50 per litre from 4 November until 1 December.
[WATCH] The ANC through finance minister Cde Enoch Godongwana has put aside close to 10 billion to assist with the pressures of the rising cost of living and our people are benefiting from these initiatives. With the fuel levy relief introduced we will see lowering of prices on goods which our people desperately and lowering of the cost of living. These are bread and butter issues.
#MbalulaInKZN
#VoteANC2026
#BuildingCommunitiesTogether— ANC SECRETARY GENERAL | Fikile Mbalula (@MbalulaFikile) October 23, 2026
The relief will then be scaled back until 5 January 2027, when the diesel levy reduction will fall to R1.50 per litre and the petrol levy reduction to R1 per litre.
According to SABC News’ report on the R10 billion fuel-levy relief, the government says the package is intended to ease pressure on households and businesses as fuel costs push up transport and other expenses.
Mbalula argued that the impact could extend beyond motorists, because diesel is used to transport food and other essential goods to shops.
“Bread, maize and chicken must be transported to shops, while millions of workers depend on taxis and other transport to earn a living,” he said, according to Sunday World.
However, the levy reductions do not automatically guarantee lower food prices or taxi fares. The extent to which consumers benefit will depend on how fuel-cost savings are passed through by businesses and transport operators.
ANC puts cost of living at centre of campaign
Mbalula told residents that the rising cost of living was among the everyday challenges the ANC wanted to address, alongside concerns about public services and water provision.
He said government had allocated resources to help ease household pressures and improve services, arguing that these were issues directly affecting communities.
The ANC is campaigning ahead of local government elections on 4 November, with service delivery and the cost of living likely to remain key concerns for voters.
The fuel-levy announcement has also drawn criticism from opposition parties, with some questioning whether temporary cuts are enough to address sustained increases in living costs.
While the relief will offer some assistance at the pumps, its impact will be limited by the period for which the reductions remain in place.
For Mbalula, the message on the campaign trail was that the intervention should be judged by the relief it delivers to households rather than its timing ahead of the polls.
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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi
