Electricity increases on 1 July, set to wipe out fuel savings
· The South African
Come 1 July 2026, when petrol prices will decrease for the first time in months, municipal electricity increases will take effect.
Depending on the municipality, these increases will range from 6.67% to 9%.
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South Africans will have a hard time balancing their budgets because any savings on petrol could be wiped out by electricity and other tariffs.
How Electricity Increases Will Wipe Out Petrol Savings
Motorists can look forward to per litre petrol decreases of between R1.47 (95 unleaded) and R1.51 (93 unleaded). Diesel will decrease by between R2.68 (500 ppm) and R3.11 (50 ppm) per litre.
This is a 6% reduction in fuel price across fuel types and locations.
Cash-strapped motorists currently spending R1000 on fuel will get the same litres of fuel for R940 in July.
That’s where the savings end. Because come 1 July, electricity is increasing by more than 6% across all four metros.
To understand the impact of the electricity increases, it makes sense to consider your current spending.
The cost per kWh differs depending on your location, your home’s value, and how much electricity you use.
How Much Households Will Pay in July to Get the Same Value as R1000 Electricity
Households will need to budget any fuel savings to cover the cost of rising electricity prices.
Using a similar formula to before, you can determine how much you’ll spend in July to maintain the same kWh in electricity you use. However, this time, rather than subtracting 6% from your fuel spend, you’ll add a percentage based on where you reside.
CityElectricity Tariff Increase (%)1 July 2026 Electricity Budget (R)Petrol / Electricity DifferencePretoria8.8%R1088.00–R28.00Johannesburg8.63%R1086.30-R26.30Durban9%R1090.00-R30.00Cape Town6.67%R1066.70-R6.70Tariff Increases to Hit South Africa’s Major Cities
But it’s not only electricity that’s increasing. Tariffs across the four metros will increase by double digits in some cases.
In Johannesburg, property rates will increase by 3.6%, refuse removal by 6.2%, sanitation and water by 11% and 12.5%, respectively.
Cape Town residents will experience some relief. Property rates will decrease by 10.2%. But water and sanitation, in addition to refuse removal, will increase by 4.5% and 3.8% respectively.
Residents in Durban will pay 12% more for water, 8% more for sanitation, 2% more in property rates, and 9.5% more in refuse removal.
Property rates and sanitation for Pretoria households will increase by 5% on 1 July 2026. Then, refuse removal and water will increase by 4.1% and 10%, respectively.