Uphill battle forcitizens
Ithas been atough starttothe month forconsumers as thefuelhikewas implementedfromWednesday 1April as well as an averageelectricity tariff increase of 8,76%for Eskomcustomers
Neil Roets, chiefexecutive officer(CEO) of Debt Rescue,warns that theincreases are“disastrous”for consumers.
“Thispricestwo of themostessentialnecessities –petroltodrive theirvehiclesand electricitytoheatfood andkeep thelightson– beyond thereach of theaverage citizen– andthisspells disaster on alevel we have notseen yet.”
He warnsthatSouth Africans arefastfalling deeper into financialruin.
“Itisdeeplyconcerningthatauthorities are notrespondingmoreurgentlytothe writingon thewall.”
ANYRELIEFINSIGHT?
Despitegovernment’sannouncement to temporarily reduce thefuellevybyR3per litrefor petrol anddieselfor this month, Roetssaidthe pricehikes will stillhavea dramatic impact on SouthAfricans.
“Petrolisa mainstay of themonthly budget
GOVERNMENT IS SCRAMBLING TO SECURE FUEL SUPPLYFOR THE COUNTRY
of everyhousehold,whether youare avehicle ownerornot,and many ruralhouseholdsstill useitto fire up theirgenerators.
“Whenthe priceofpetroland diesel increases, it’s inevitable that otheressentialgoodswillgo up in pricetoo,withstaplefoodsatthe topof thelist, as we seethe knock-on effectonroad andrailtransport.”
THEDIESELDEBATE
He said in SouthAfricadieselretailpricing is notregulated in thesameway petrol is.Unlike petrol,where thegovernmentsetsa regulated pump pricethatall stations must follow, diesel’s retail priceisonlyguidedbya monthly referenceprice
This meansthatfuelstationscan adjust diesel prices at anytimeduringthe month.
“Itisencouraging that ourgovernmentis
scrambling to secure fuelsupplyfor thecountry forthe upcoming months,withreports coming in that SouthAfricaisseekinga standard contract fora 12-month supplyfromNigeria,” Roetsnotes
“Right nowthough, we only have enough to seethe countrythrough forthe next fewweeks.”
ESKOM’SDARKAGE
Roetswarns that thenationalpower utility Eskomwillalsobehardhit by thedieselprice hike
Theprice increase will placeseverepressure on Eskom’s finances forthisyearbydramatically increasing theoperational costsofits Open CycleGas Turbines (OCGTs).
This forces Eskomtoeitherfundhigheroperationalcosts or reduce usage, potentially risking higher stages of load shedding or more outages, notesRoets
“Loadshedding is somethingweSouth Africans believed we hadleftbehindfor good,” says Roets. “Householdssimplydon’t have the wherewithaltowithstand anotherround of plannedpower outages, especially at this time when they arefacinginsurmountable financial challenges,” he warns.
Taxisandbusesmonitoringtheoilmarket
KAYLYNNEBANTOM
TheSouth AfricanNationalTaxiCouncil (Santaco)saidgiven that most minibustaxis operate on diesel,which is largelyunregulated,the significant priceincreasemeans theindustry will continue to absorb thegreatestimpactof thecurrent fuel priceadjustments
Motoristsare feelingthe squeeze, with petrol increasedbyR3,06 perlitre anddieselspiking by R7,37.
Santacosaidwhile it welcomes theR3fuel levy relief as anecessary short-term intervention,the overallincreaseinfuelpricescontinuestoplace significant pressure on thetaxi industry andits dailyoperations.
Mmatshikhidi Phala, Santaconationalspokesperson,saidtaxiassociations across thecountry arecurrently assessing theimpactofthese increasesontheir operationalcosts andprofit margins.
“Based on theseassessments,associations will communicate directly with theircommuters regardingany potentialfareadjustments.”
Phalasaidthatany fare increasesimplemented by associations will be approached with “caution,transparency, andresponsibility”
Phalasaidnationally,Santaco leadership remainsactivelyengaged with government to explorefurther supportmeasuresaimed at softeningthe ongoing financialstrainonboth theindustryand commuters.
“These engagementsare critical to ensuring that theburdenofrisingcosts does notdis
proportionatelyaffectthose whorelyonpublic transportdaily
“Santaco calls forunderstanding andcooperationfromcommuters during this challenging period,asthe industry workstobalance sustainabilitywithaffordability.”
MeanwhileBronwen Dyke-Beyers, spokesperson forGoldenArrow,saidthe busservices remainscommittedtosupportingthe communities that they serve.
Shesaidcurrently Golden Arrowdoesnot plan to implementfareincreases
“Wewilldoeverythingpossibletoshieldour passengersbyabsorbing theseadditional fuel costsfor as long as possible. However, should thesepressurespersist or intensifythere will come apoint wherefareadjustments become unavoidable.”
Dyke-Beyerssaidtheywillcontinuetomonitordevelopments.
“Wewillcontinuetomonitor thesituation closelyand will always communicate transparentlywithour passengersshouldany changes become necessary.”
As fleetingand unpredictableas theweather canbe, so toohave ourpersonallives become in the ever shifting globaland economic landscape. We find ourselveswrestlingtounderstandwhile we keep ourheads abovewater.These daily anxietieswrackingour brains have been compounded by theraging warinthe MiddleEastand the conflictoverthe Strait of Hormuz whichhas caused an unprecedented fuelhikethatpunctured our pocketsaswelookedonhelplessly at theprice of petrol anddiesel skyrocketing as we approached the monthofApril Ironically thefuelhikearrivedon AprilFool’s Day, howapt we find ourselvescaughtinthe middleof ajokewhere onecan only laugh insteadofcry at theimminent risingcosts andinflationthatawaits
us in thecomingweeks. Research showsthatthe increase in petrol (fuel) prices is asignificant global economic shockthattriggers a “chain reaction,leading to higher inflation, increasedcostofliving, andslowereconomicgrowth” Slowly we’llsee howthese fuel hikesaffectthe grocerieswebuy as fuelis“essential” fortransporting goods, agriculture, andmanufacturing Rising oilpricescreatea negative supplyshock that spreadsacross theentireglobaleconomy.This feelingofhelplessnesscan be quite draining as we deal with ourown personal problems andissues affecting ourfamilies, notmissing thefactthatthe SouthAfrican National DefenceForce hasdescended upon theCapeFlats to bringa senseofsafetyand security amid thealarmingrates of violence and gunshots affecting residents. Themerefactthatthe army had to be calledintoquell andcurbthe amount of shootings is notonlya worryingsignfor ournationwhere
everynew Stateofthe Nation speechbringsthe “promise”ofa SouthAfricawhere theconstant issues of unemployment,housing, educationand economic freedomhavestarted to show signs of improvement. Insteadwe’re constantly seeing ourcalls falling on deaf ears Ironically,itseemsgovernment seemstolistenmoreattentively when election season is loomingand more voters need to be groomed.
So we’llsee more politicians showingthemselvesinthe poorer communitiesand mingling with thedisadvantaged andoffering more illusionsofhopeona horizon that neverseemstoreach us despitethe yearsthatpass. Whymustour crimestats andthe number of bodies of youngpeople killedsenselesslybecomepiled into such aunsettlingstatistic that ourpoliticians andkey figurescan “wakeup” andtakeaction?
On Tuesdayevening,driving past apetrolstation in Cape Town,I
wasamazedatthe long queues of cars seekingfuelattendants andthe sightseemed so grim as Iwatched thecarsstand still anddrivers patientlywaiting.At timesitcan be such an exercise to remain hopeful andgrateful watching thenewsand seeing all thedestruction andinnocent lives everywhere we go.Whether we’re hearingabout disturbing murders on ourphones, television or on the radio, we’reconstantlyswarmed with notonlynewsreports,wenow have influencersdissectingthese storiesfor us andoften sensationalisingthese incidentswithmore gruesome detail
It’s becoming harder to stay optimistic andtosupport each otherin this ageofrapid informationand anxiety. Butoften theright thingtodo requires themostdisciplineand in theend becomesthe most rewardingfor notonlyourselves,but also in aiding anotherhuman beingby simply listeningand understanding.
Santacosaid it welcomes the R3 fuel levy relief PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Your PrefectLifetohit theBay
ClosingofstraitsnowindfallforSA
Understanding autism is astart
WKAYLYNNEBANTOM
hile thecurtain hascome down on WorldAutism AwarenessDay,commemoratedannually on 2April, thechallenges facedbylearners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)remain firmly in place, especially in underresourcedand overcrowded classrooms.
Accordingtothe WorldHealth Organisation (WHO), ASDare a diversegroup of conditions.They arecharacterised by some degree of difficultywithsocialinteraction and communication
Othercharacteristics arepatterns of activities andbehaviours, such as difficultywithtransitionfromone activity to another, afocus on details andunusual reactionstosensations.
People’s Post spoketoDrMonique de Wit, postgraduate coordinator andlecturerinthe Division of Rural Health (Ukwanda)atthe Faculty of Medicine andHealthSciences, at Stellenbosch University,about sensoryeducation andsupport for learners with ASDinmainstreameducationand thosewithASD in higher education.
De Witsaidone thebiggest challenges learners with ASDfacein SouthAfrican mainstream schools areovercrowded classrooms.
“Theyare contending with the typicalchallengeoflarge classesas well as littleaccess to specialised support to help them succeed in their academic environment.”
Shesaidspecialised support could
UNDER DIFFERENCE SMALL, CHANGE
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