Petrol price increases of R1.43 a litre take effect in South Africa on Wednesday, 3 June 2026, after the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources halved fuel levy relief, outweighing lower oil prices and a stronger rand.
The new prices were confirmed in a media statement released by the Central Energy Fund (CEF) on behalf of the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.
The adjustment pushes 95 unleaded to R28.06 a litre in Gauteng and R27.19 at the coast, while diesel and paraffin move sharply in the other direction.
Why the petrol price rose in June 2026 as oil fell
On paper, the petrol price should have dropped this month. The statement notes that average international product prices for petrol, diesel and paraffin all fell over the review period, and the rand strengthened against the dollar, averaging R16.52 against R16.65 a month earlier.
Those two factors alone handed motorists an over-recovery of about 42 cents a litre on petrol. The increase came from elsewhere.
National Treasury halved the general fuel levy relief for June, cutting it to R1.50 a litre for petrol and R1.96 for diesel, with the relief set to fall away entirely before July.
A second cost was layered on through the slate levy, the mechanism that recovers shortfalls in the regulated fuel price.
With the combined petrol and diesel slate balance sitting at a negative R18.28 billion at the end of April, the slate levy rose from 122.70 cents to 157.74 cents a litre, adding a further 35 cents to the pump.
What the new petrol price is from 3 June 2026
From 3 June, 95 unleaded costs R28.06 a litre inland and R27.19 at the coast.
The 93 grade rises to R27.95 a litre in Gauteng. Both grades carry the same R1.43 increase, so the gap between coastal and inland pricing stays the same.
Diesel and paraffin get cheaper
Diesel tells the opposite story. The wholesale price of 0.05% sulphur diesel falls by about R3.25 a litre to an estimated R27.93 in Gauteng, while 0.005% sulphur diesel drops R2.62 to approximately R28.76. Because diesel is sold at a wholesale price rather than a regulated pump price, the saving each driver sees will depend on the forecourt.
Households that rely on paraffin get the biggest relief. The single maximum national retail price for illuminating paraffin falls to R29.15 a litre for June, down from R37.10.
The maximum retail price of LPGas also eases by 17 cents a kilogram, taking it to R40.95 a kilogram inland and R37.69 at the coast.
What the changes mean for your budget
The diesel and paraffin cuts ease pressure on transport operators and lower-income households, and a sustained diesel drop tends to filter through to food prices over time.
The petrol increase moves the other way, raising the monthly cost of a full tank for most commuters.
The bigger signal sits in July. With the fuel levy relief being withdrawn completely after this month, petrol faces upward pressure again unless a weaker oil price or a firmer rand steps in to absorb it.
For now, drivers filling up from 3 June pay more, even in a month when the underlying numbers pointed down.
