Security group Monitor Net has issued an urgent notice to customers about implementing an emergency temporary fuel levy adjustment to cope with rising petrol prices in South Africa.
In the notice, seen by BusinessTech, the group said it had initially opted to absorb the higher costs associated with rising global fuel prices; however, this has now become untenable.
It noted that, from 1 May 2026, it will impose a temporary emergency increase in its current levy of R25.
“Rest assured that these levies are not permanent fixtures, and should tensions in global supply normalise, and subsequent prices return to normal levels, the levies would be removed with immediate effect,” it said.
The group told customers that it had been able to absorb the rising costs when the war between the United States and Iran—the driving factor behind higher prices—appeared to be short-term.
However, since negotiations between the two countries broke down during a shaky ceasefire, hopes for short-term relief appear to be dimming.
“On the 1st of April, there were already significant increases in all forms of petroleum derivatives,” the group said.
Most notably, this was a R3.06 increase in the inland price of 93 Unleaded Petrol and a R7.51 increase in the inland price of 50ppm Diesel.
“With peace talks falling apart, and the dollar strengthening against the Rand, the Central Energy Fund has projected that…further increases of R4.29 and R13.13 could be expected from the beginning of May 2026,” it said.
The group requested assistance from customers to reduce the number of call-outs by ensuring their alarm systems are in proper working order and that resources aren’t wasted on false activations.
Expect more surcharges
Security companies like Monitor Net are not alone in facing higher operational costs due to rising fuel prices nationwide.
Certain businesses, such as FlySafair, were impacted by the oil price surge even before official pump prices were changed.
The group announced in March that it would add surcharges to ticket prices to offset the higher cost of jet fuel.
Fuel companies have also been adding surcharges to their costs in an attempt to cushion the blow.
While these are not levied on the pump price—rather, they are charged to fuel stations and transporters—worker unions like Solidarity have warned that they will inevitably be passed on to consumers.
Ride-sharing platform Bolt also announced temporary fare adjustments to help drivers manage costs. Competing platform Uber also confirmed it was actively monitoring and “intervening” where necessary.
One of South Africa’s largest delivery companies, The Courier Guy, also announced that it will add a 12% fuel surcharge to all shipments in response to the recent increase in diesel prices.
As fuel prices march higher, with another significant hike on the horizon for May, more services are expected to follow suit.
Two stand-outs, so far, are Takealot and Checkers Sixty60, both of which confirmed that they would be absorbing the higher costs for the time being.
More broadly, however, the real impact of the price surge won’t be felt in direct services, but rather in agriculture and production, as producers face steeper input costs.
These will invariably filter down the supply chain to consumers through higher shelf prices, driving inflation.
