The Automobile Association has warned South Africans to brace themselves for yet another fuel price increase at the end of January.
The AA was commenting on unaudited mid-month fuel price data released by the Central Energy Fund.
“The rand/US dollar exchange rate has firmed slightly since the start of January 2017,” the Association said.
“But international oil prices have surged ahead by a far greater margin,” it warned.
The AA predicts that the price of petrol will increase by 44 cents, diesel by 37 cents, and illuminating paraffin by 31 cents.
“There is always the hope that the spike in international oil prices will not persist, but that seems unlikely,” the AA said.
“South Africans should already be thinking of trimming any unnecessary expenses to accommodate a series of fuel price hikes which seem likely in the medium term,” it advised.