Staff Reporter|Published
A R10 billion plan to bring South Africans some relief at the petrol pump is in the works at Parliament.
This comes after fuel prices hit R30 a litre for unleaded petrol at the start of October, and the Automobile Association warned of another R4.58 hit for motorists in November.
Parliament’s Standing Committee on Appropriations adopted its report on the Second Special Appropriation Bill on Thursday, October 8, 2026, moving the proposal forward for debate in the National Assembly.
The Bill proposes allocating R10 billion to the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources for the Equalisation Fund within the Central Energy Fund.
The funding is intended to support an intervention to stabilise fuel prices, but does not automatically mean lower fuel prices.
Committee Chairperson Dr Mmusi Maimane called for the proposed intervention to provide relief to consumers before December.
Maimane said: “As Parliament and representatives of the people, we must ensure that fuel prices are reduced so that citizens can enter December with some relief.”
Parliament said the proposed funding was intended to address fuel price volatility arising from the conflict in the Middle East.
However, questions remain about how the intervention will work, who will benefit, how long it will last, and how its impact will be measured.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana tabled the Bill on July 31, before it was referred to the committee on August 4, 2026.
The committee has now adopted its report, which will be scheduled for debate in the National Assembly. The Bill itself has not yet been approved.
The committee also wants closer oversight of the proposed R10 billion expenditure to ensure the funds achieve their intended purpose.
It recommended that the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, together with their departments, report to Parliament on potential future fuel price shocks and the circumstances under which relief measures should be introduced.
The committee further called for detailed reporting on expenditure under the Bill.
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