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[File Image]: A person shops at a grocery store.
Civic organisation Forum for South Africa (FOSA) has accused the government of failing to protect citizens from the rising cost of living, following a midnight increase in the price of petrol.
Both grades of petrol rose by R1.43 per litre, driven by higher international oil prices linked to escalating tensions in the Middle East. FOSA warned that continued increases could deepen poverty and economic strain.
FOSA National Leader Tebogo Mashilompane described the government’s failure to act as a deliberate act of injustice and said the knock-on effects of fuel price increases were not reversed when prices dropped.
“When there’s an increase, food prices go up and when the price of petrol or fuel goes down, the price of food does not go down. The price of public transport, which the majority of South Africans are using, goes up and when it goes up, it does not go down when the petrol decreases,” Mashilompane said.
Mashilompane said South Africa had the means to reduce its dependence on imported oil and called on government to explore local alternatives.
“So, we acknowledge the fact that there’s a global issue here, but with us, SA, we still have an opportunity to create a platform where oil can be generated. We’ve got refinery industries, why can’t we do that? We’ve got coal, why are we not using it?”
Households buckling under pressure: Cost of Living Report finds
