South African motorists are facing a potentially record fuel price increase in May 2026 after the United States launched a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, pushing Brent crude above $100 per barrel and threatening to erase the emergency government levy relief that expires on 5 May, adding a double blow to household budgets already strained by April’s R3.06 per litre petrol hike.
The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources confirmed that petrol prices increased by R3.06 per litre on 1 April 2026, the largest single-month adjustment in recent years, following a sustained rise in global crude prices driven by the US-Iran conflict that began in late February.
The government responded to public pressure by implementing an emergency reduction in the general fuel levy of R3.00 per litre, effective from 1 April to 5 May 2026, to partially offset the impact on consumers.
The double shock looming in May
The emergency levy relief was designed as a temporary cushion. When it expires on 5 May, South African motorists will lose R3.00 per litre of relief at precisely the moment when global oil prices are spiking again due to the Strait of Hormuz blockade.
Early projections for May suggest a further increase of up to R4.50 per litre for both petrol and diesel as a baseline, before the levy restoration is factored in.
Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe, in announcing the April adjustment, confirmed the government’s position on fuel pricing: the basket of international benchmarks, rand-dollar exchange rate and basic fuel price formula remain the primary determinants of what South Africans pay at the pump.
“The adjustment of fuel prices is informed by the global oil market and exchange rate movements,” Mantashe stated in the official Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources announcement for April 2026.
Swisher Post has submitted a request for comment from Mantashe’s office and from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa on the projected May adjustment.
What the current prices are and what may change
Following the April 2026 adjustment, South African motorists are paying approximately R25.18 per litre for 95 Unleaded petrol at inland stations and approximately R24.28 per litre at coastal stations.
These figures already reflect one of the steepest cumulative increases in recent memory. With Brent crude jumping between 10% and 13% in early trading on Monday following the US blockade announcement, and with analysts warning that oil could remain above $100 per barrel for weeks if no diplomatic resolution emerges: the trajectory for May is deeply concerning.
To put the impact in concrete terms: a standard 60-litre fill on 95 Unleaded petrol costs approximately R1 510.80 at inland stations today. A R4.50 per litre increase, combined with the restoration of the R3.00 levy, would push the same fill to approximately R1 990.80, an increase of R480 per tank.
For households filling up twice a month, that represents nearly R1 000 in additional monthly transport costs.
The next official fuel price announcement from the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources is expected on or around 29 April 2026, with the new prices taking effect from 1 May 2026.
