Midnight relief: Petrol prices hit four-year low as Rand surges

South African motorists are set for a midnight reprieve as fuel prices see a significant decrease for the second consecutive month. 

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources has confirmed that a strengthening Rand has successfully offset a slight uptick in global oil prices.

Starting at midnight, consumers can expect the following changes at the pumps:

Petrol (Both Grades): A decrease of 65 cents per litre.

Diesel: A decrease of between 50 and 57 cents per litre.

Illuminating Paraffin: A retail decrease of 70 cents per litre.

LP Gas: An increase of 31 cents countrywide (36 cents in the Western Cape).

The primary catalyst for this relief is the local currency's performance. While international oil prices rose slightly during the period under review, the surging Rand provided a sufficient buffer to pull domestic costs down. Notably, this adjustment brings petrol prices to their lowest levels in four years.

Robert Maake, spokesperson for the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, detailed the specifics of the price structure:
"Both grades of petrol will decrease by 65 cents a litre. Diesel will decrease by 50 and 57 cents a litre. Illuminating paraffin at the retail level will decrease by 70 cents a litre. And LP gas will increase by 31 cents countrywide and by 36 cents in the Western Cape. The slate levy remained unchanged at zero cents per litre in the price structure of both petrol and diesel."