Press Releases

As the Easter long-weekend approaches, many families will be planning short vacations across South Africa to get away and spend quality time with each other. Sadly, Easter is also a turbulent time on South African roads with many crashes and fatalities over this period. This year, Easter begins on Friday, 15 April and ends on Monday, 18 April.

Presidential Protection Unit convoys transporting politicians on the country’s roads – especially on major highways – continue to pose a road safety threat for all motorists, and their operation should be reviewed. The Automobile Association (AA) says it will communicate with the Ministers of Police and Transport to have such a review of the so-called Blue Light Brigades instituted urgently.

The R1.50 reduction on the General Fuel Levy (GFL) announced by the Minister of Finance last week is welcome and will take some pressure off embattled consumers. However, the Automobile Association (AA) says fuel price increases for April announced by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) this afternoon will still keep fuel prices at record high levels and will add financial pressure on all South Africans.

A crisis is looming in South Africa as the deadline for the renewal of driving licences arrives tomorrow (SUBS:: Thursday, 31 March) but with hundreds of thousands of drivers who have still not applied for their new cards. The Automobile Association (AA) again appeals to the Minister of Transport to reconsider government’s refusal to extend this deadline, and to make provision for a longer renewal period.

South Africans remain concerned about their safety with 78% of citizens adding more security features to their homes to ensure their well-being in 2022. This is one of the findings of the Automobile Association’s (AA) 2022 State of Security Report (SoS Report) conducted in the first three months of the year.

South Africans can expect record fuel price increases in April, delivering yet another blow to already embattled consumers. Commenting on mid-month fuel data released by the Central Energy Fund (CEF), the Automobile Association (AA) notes that the current data is projecting fuel prices to touch on R24/l for petrol and R23.60 for diesel.

Crumbling local and provincial infrastructure is contributing to South Africa’s poor road safety levels and must be addressed urgently if meaningful strides to improve the country’s horrendous road safety record are to be made.

The massive fuel increases announced by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) today will have a sharp and immediate effect on the poor, and a long-term impact on inflation. Commenting on the increases, the Automobile Association (AA) says the increases are above expectations, and will hurt all South Africans.

In a landmark win for consumers, the Minister of Finance, Mr Enoch Godongwane, today heeded calls by the Automobile Association (AA) not to increase the rate of fuel levies, and at the same time announced a “review of all aspects of the fuel price” subsequent to prolonged campaigns and a petition by the AA calling into question perpetual fuel hikes.

Massive fuel hikes well above R1/l are on the cards for all grades of fuel going into March. This is according to the Automobile Association (AA) which was commenting on fuel price data released today by the Central Energy Fund (CEF).

“Our economy is closely linked to the fuel price; it is a major input cost in the manufacturing, retailing and agricultural sectors. We have noted before that a review of the current structure of the fuel price, as well as an audit of all the elements which comprise the fuel price, should be done sooner rather than later. We therefore call on the Minister of Finance to initiate such a review during his Budget Speech on 23 February,” says the AA.

The Automobile Association (AA) is encouraged that the driving licence production machine is again operational and that efforts are underway to clear the massive backlogs in the delivery of driving licences to motorists in the country. However, the Association remains concerned about the capacity of the renewal system to service the 2.1 million motorists who must renew their licences before the end of March and believes that more time is needed to resolve the current backlogs.