In January 2000, a litre of 95 unleaded in Gauteng cost R1.73. Today it's R23.36. That's a 1,250% increase — or roughly 13.5 times what your parents paid.
Filling a 50-litre tank cost R86.50 in 2000. The same tank today costs R1,168.
The timeline tells the story:
2000-2005 — petrol climbed steadily from R1.73 to R4.43. The Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina pushed oil prices up globally. Most South Africans barely noticed.
2008 — the first shock. Oil hit $147 a barrel. SA petrol spiked to R9.13 — more than five times the 2000 price. Then the financial crisis hit and prices briefly dropped. They never went back to pre-2008 levels.
2012 — double digits for the first time at R10.71. The rand was weakening past R8 to the dollar.
2015 — the RAF levy jumped 48% overnight, adding 50 cents per litre in a single announcement. Government taxes now make up over R7 of every litre you buy.
2020 — COVID briefly crashed oil demand. Brent crude dropped below $20. SA petrol fell to R12.22. A temporary reprieve nobody enjoyed because nobody was driving.
2022 — Russia invaded Ukraine. Oil spiked. The rand weakened. In July, SA hit an all-time record of R26.74 per litre. Cost-of-living protests followed.
April 2026 — the US-Iran conflict pushed oil past $100 a barrel. Petrol jumped R3.06 per litre and diesel surged R7.37 per litre in a single month. Inland 95 ULP hit R23.36. Government introduced a temporary R3/litre fuel levy reduction to soften the blow — without it, the increase would have been over R5. Over 35% of the pump price is still taxes and levies. The basic fuel price — what the actual petrol costs — is less than two-thirds of what you pay.
The uncomfortable truth: even if oil drops, the taxes don't. The price floor keeps rising regardless of what happens in global markets. And when geopolitics collide with a weak rand, South African motorists feel it first and hardest.
Sources checked 2 April 2026·3 sources ↓