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This morning I visited the Bree Taxi rank in Johannesburg to talk to ordinary South Africans about how the recent increase in the fuel price is affecting their lives. The message I got was crystal clear: South Africans are fed up with increasing fuel prices. And they want government to do something about it.

Their feelings are justified. Over the last four months the price of petrol has increased by R1.61 per litre in Gauteng, which constitutes a 15% increase. That pushes up taxi fares, all other transportation costs, and will soon affect the price of food and other goods as well. The financial pressure that these increases have brought upon South African families has been exacerbated by similar increases in the price of food, electricity and Metrorail tickets.

South Africans are finding it harder and harder to cope financially with all the increases in the basic cost of living.

In order to address this, Government must take action to review our fuel pricing framework. The Department of Energy has already hinted at a review of the fuel price formula, but little has actually been done.

We believe that this review must take place as soon as possible. And priority must be given to two points: reviewing the set of taxes and levies placed on fuel; and reviewing the fuel price formula to be less reactive to short-term fluctuations in the global oil price. The review should also consider looking into how the strategic petroleum reserve can be utilised to cushion the blow in difficult times.

I, together with the DA’s parliamentary team on the Portfolio Committee on Energy, will seek a meeting with the Minister of Energy to discuss the review her department has mooted. In the last ten years, the price of fuel has, on average, increased by 11% per year. This is an unsustainable rate and something must be done to address this problem.

It is more complex than simply blaming the rising global oil price. We need to ask ourselves if we are doing everything we can to smooth out the impact of fuel price increases over time, whether we are doing everything we can to mitigate increases in the price of oil and whether the Department of Energy has a long-term strategy to improve domestic refining capacity. All of these things can contribute towards more affordable fuel prices, and more manageable increases, in the long run.

We must also look at improving the alternatives available to commuters. Metrorail, especially, needs to get its house in order. That service has become ever more expensive, squeezing commuters without offering any improvements in service. A better managed Metrorail can provide cheaper transport solutions for people who struggle to afford petrol.

People are under severe pressure. At the Bree taxi rank, and at every other taxi rank and fuel station across South Africa, people are crying out for more affordable fuel, and for a break in the relentless increases in the cost of living we have lately experienced. Government has an obligation to take action on this matter.