Energy Minister Jeff Radebe is expected in Parliament on Tuesday to explain government’s position on escalating fuel prices.
Radebe irked the Energy Portfolio Committee last week when neither he nor any of his department’s officials showed up to outline government’s plan to mitigate the effects of rising fuel costs.
Radebe excused himself, saying that he had to attend the SADC summit in Windhoek, but MPs were unimpressed by what they interpreted as a boycott by the department.
The fuel price has been on a steady increase since March from R14,42 for 95 octane unleaded petrol inland in January to R16,03 in August.
MPs say they’ve been waiting since last month for Radebe to speak on the matter. They want to know why neighbouring countries which buy fuel from South Africa are able to sell it at cheaper rates but also what government plans to do to mitigate the effects on ordinary South Africans.
The Democratic Alliance and Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse led a march of opposition parties and taxi councils to the National Treasury earlier this month, to put pressure on the government to reduce the petrol price by R1 per litre.