The Democratic Alliance says the recently announced fuel price increase by the Department of Energy is way above market expectations.by R1.08 – R1.11 per litre, exceeding analyst forecast.this is yet another reminder that the ANC government will not take urgent policy steps that would reduce the price of food with lower fuel prices.
“The Minister of Energy – Gwede Mantashe and the Minister of Finance – Enoch Godongwana, have chosen to ignore a petition signed by 130 000 South Africans calling for the rationalisation of the fuel price in order to cushion consumers from the rising cost of living, more than a year after it was submitted. Households are battling to put food on their tables and government simply doesn’t care,” Mileham criticised.
“On 14 June 2022, the DA made submissions to Mantashe and Godongwana in which we called for a review of the fuel price framework and the corresponding tax system which inflated the fuel retail price and drove up the cost of living,” he revealed, adding that the letter was co-signed by more than 130 000 South Africans, making it one of the highest subscribed petitions in the history of the DA.
“The DA will not accept the refusal by Mantashe and Godongwana to acknowledge and act on the voices of 130 000 citizens who have raised alarm over the impact of the inflated fuel price on their ability to provide for their families.”PETITION TO BE ESCALATED TO THE PRESIDENT “It is for this reason that we will soon be presenting this petition for fuel price rationalization directly to the Office of President Cyril Ramaphosa. His Ministers have shown an unwillingness to lead a process that will reform the country’s fuel price determination model and he must now step in to initiate the reform process,” he explained.