R3 a litre off the diesel levy and R1.50 off petrol from Wednesday: what it means for your budget
Temporary relief on the General Fuel Levy starts on Wednesday 4 November. The final pump prices are still to come from the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.
By Staff Reporter · Published
R3.00/l
The cut to the General Fuel Levy on diesel from Wednesday 4 November to Tuesday 1 December 2026. Petrol gets R1.50/l. Source: SARS tariff amendment notice, 2 November.
The official figure
According to SARS’s notice, the General Fuel Levy on petrol falls from 410c/l to 260c/l, and on diesel from 393c/l to 93c/l, from 4 November to 1 December 2026. The Finance Minister announced the relief in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement on 21 October (SAnews). From 2 December the relief shrinks to R1.00/l on petrol and R1.50/l on diesel until 5 January 2027.
- What changed: the fuel levy drops on Wednesday, the same day as the monthly fuel price adjustment.
- Who is affected: motorists, taxi and transport operators, and farmers.
- What you can do: wait for the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) announcement before budgeting on a pump price. It is the only figure we treat as final.
What about pump prices?
Month-end Central Energy Fund data reported by several outlets, combined with the levy cut, point to decreases from 4 November. Without that relief, the same data point to increases (BusinessTech; Stuff). Published projections differ by grade between outlets (IOL), so we are not quoting any of them as the new price. As of 10:45 on Tuesday, the DMPR had not published its November statement.
Illustrative examples, not forecasts:
- A transport operator who buys 1,000 litres of diesel between 4 November and 1 December would pay about R3,000 less in fuel levy than without the relief.
- A motorist who buys 50 litres of petrol in that period would pay R75 less in fuel levy.
These show the levy part of the price only. The pump price also depends on the DMPR’s adjustment. Farmers registered for the diesel refund already recover part of the levy, and SARS says the refund provisions are “adjusted accordingly”, so they would save less.
The weather link
For farmers, the levy relief arrives as the summer season begins, and that season’s weather is uncertain. In July, SAWS research scientist Cobus Olivier told Farmer’s Weekly there was a very high likelihood of an El Niño developing, potentially “one of the strongest”. In the same article AgriSA chief operating officer Jolanda Andrag said “we are dealing with a seasonal forecast rather than a confirmed drought” (Farmer’s Weekly, July 2026).
- The DMPR announcement of the November fuel prices, effective Wednesday 4 November (DMPR media statements).
- 2 December, when the levy relief shrinks to R1.00/l on petrol and R1.50/l on diesel.
- SAWS’s seasonal outlooks for summer rainfall, and what they mean for crops and food prices.
- SARS tariff amendment notice, 2 November 2026: sars.gov.za
- SAnews, Finance Minister announces fuel levy relief: sanews.gov.za
- BusinessTech, Stuff and IOL fuel outlooks (linked above)
- Farmer’s Weekly, July 2026 (linked above)
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