Pappi plans ‘nationwide shutdown’ over fuel price increases

The newly formed People Against Petrol and Paraffin Price Increases (Pappi) has vowed to intensify its fight against the rising prices of fuel.

The vow comes ahead of predictions that the fuel price could increase by more than a rand a litre next month.

“South Africans are reeling from catastrophic hikes almost every month and the next one will be the biggest by far. Coupled with rising food and transport costs‚ the average South African will find it very difficult to make ends meet‚” said the group’s national convenor‚ Visvin Reddy.

Reddy‚ a former ANC councillor in the eThekwini municipality‚ has previously held protests against fuel hikes under the Pappi banner. But they have now threatened to embark on a nationwide protest against fuel hikes on September 28.

The comes after the Central Energy Fund (CEF) said that a weaker rand and a higher international oil price had led to a more than R1 under recovery for all grades of fuel in the first 10 days of September‚ putting motorists in line for yet another hefty fuel price increase‚ Business Day reported on Tuesday.

Pappi has urged the government to negotiate the price of crude oil with suppliers‚ which they say could lead to petrol price reductions.

Pappi said their protest would go ahead despite energy minister Jeff Radebe’s approval of an urgent temporary fuel price intervention measure‚ which saw petrol prices only marginally increase in September.

“A media briefing will be held on Thursday [September 20] outlining our proposals and our plan of action‚ which includes a countrywide shutdown late this month‚” said the lobby group’s spokesperson‚ Rynel Govender.

– Nonkululeko Njilo

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