The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) applauds the Minister for Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Mr. Gwede Mantashe’s progressive pronouncement and endorsement of the Federation’s call for the price of fuel to be slashed. 

Minister Mantashe’s call for the fuel price to be reduced by up to a third if actioned by government, would provide invaluable relief to commuters and the economy.  It would save workers thousands of Rands spent on transport, reduce the cost of food and other essential goods, and free monies that could be used to grow the economy, pay workers and create jobs. 

Whilst COSATU welcomes the Minister’s call for a price regime for petrol of R14 a litre, government needs to show that this is not merely the musings of a pensive Minister, but rather a firm call to action with clear timeframes by a decisive government led by the African National Congress.

We hope Minister Mantashe’s call will come to fruition as a matter of the highest urgency.  Government should not raise the hopes of workers and commuters as happened previously with similar announcements in 2018, 2023 and more recently in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s bold Opening of Parliament Address in July 2024, only to disappoint them. 

This call to slash the fuel price regime is all the more critical with the latest genocidal onslaught by the Israeli apartheid regime against the Palestinian and Lebanese nations, which poses an additional danger of sending the international oil price through the roof and thus inflicting a devastating blow to workers and developing economies across the world.

It is critical that government return to the negotiating table at Nedlac where the call to review and reduce the fuel tax regime as well as expand the basket of essential foods and goods exempt from VAT have been stuck due to petulant intransigence by obscure government mandarins for the past two years.

Workers are drowning in debt; commuters can barely afford transport let alone keep pace with the rising cost of living and the economy is in desperate need of cash injection.  This critical call to reduce the fuel price regime needs to be actioned as a matter of urgency and not be allowed to wallow in stifling bureaucracy.

Issued by COSATU

For further information please contact:

Matthew Parks(COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator)

Cell: 082 785 0687

Email: matthew@cosatu.org.za