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Drivers in South Africa may see a slight decrease in petrol prices in August, but a sharp increase in diesel fuel costs is forecast, which is likely to raise transport expenses and intensify inflationary pressure.

Due to ongoing volatility in the global oil market, local fuel prices are subject to influence. According to data from the Central Energy Fund, a small drop in petrol prices is expected, while prices for diesel fuel and kerosene should significantly increase.

Frank Blackmore, lead economist at KPMG South Africa, noted that current Central Energy Fund data indicates a possible decrease in petrol prices ranging from 0.20 to 0.26 South African Rand. However, he emphasized that the forecast for diesel fuel looks very different.

According to him, in August, the cost of diesel fuel could rise from approximately 1.27 to 1.50 South African Rand, and the price of kerosene will also increase by more than one rand. Blackmore warned that these figures are preliminary, and final adjustments will be announced by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy.

Although drivers of petrol vehicles may welcome the expected price drop, Blackmore warned about the broader economic consequences of the sharp rise in diesel fuel prices. South Africa's transport sector is increasingly reliant on road transport due to problems with the country's rail network. Since heavy trucks and commercial transport predominantly use diesel fuel, the rise in fuel prices is expected to affect the entire supply chain.

He added that the increase in diesel fuel prices is likely to put additional pressure on inflation, as the non-operational railway system forces much more cargo to be moved by road, which often requires the use of diesel fuel.

Neil Royce, CEO of Debt Rescue, stated that the concern goes beyond just changes in fuel prices. Many households are already struggling to cover rising living costs. Royce noted that what is most important for consumers is not the change in fuel prices itself, but the overall pressure they are already putting on household budgets. Regardless of whether fuel prices rise or petrol drivers receive limited support, many South Africans remain financially strained and have little capacity to cover further increases in the cost of essential necessities.

Royce specifically highlighted the diesel increase as a cause for serious concern due to its pervasive impact on the economy. From a consumer debt perspective, the sharp increase in diesel fuel prices is particularly worrying because diesel fuel is factored into the cost of transporting food, public transport operations, agricultural support, and delivery of essential goods. Consequently, even consumers who do not use diesel vehicles may feel this through grocery prices, transport fares, delivery charges, and daily services.

He warned that households face these rising costs simultaneously, not individually. Although these increases may manifest separately, households experience them collectively within a single monthly budget. Royce reported that Debt Rescue is observing growing signs of financial distress among consumers. When working with financially burdened households, warning signs go beyond overdue debt payments; they include using credit to buy groceries, deferring municipal or insurance payments, transferring money between accounts to cover debits, and resorting to short-term loans before payday. These are signs that basic living expenses are beginning to exceed disposable income.

Although the South African Reserve Bank's decision to keep the repo rate unchanged at 7% has prevented further increases in debt repayments, Royce noted that this has provided little relief to financial pressure. He added that while a reduction in the Slate Levy tax could potentially allow for a more significant drop in petrol prices, consumers should not rely on this possibility until the final adjustment is announced. The main issue is the cumulative erosion of purchasing power. When costs for food, transport, electricity, and debt remain high, households are forced to allocate limited income to cover basic living expenses. Regardless of the final fuel price adjustment, consumers remain under significant financial pressure, and even small additional expenses can complicate managing an already difficult monthly budget.

Increased transport costs typically affect the economy by raising the cost of transporting food, agricultural products, industrial goods, and retail stock. Economists note that these additional costs are often passed on to consumers, creating further pressure on already tight family budgets. Despite the expected petrol price drop providing only limited relief to drivers, the forecasted rise in diesel fuel prices is expected to have a much greater impact on inflation, business costs, and the cost of living in the coming months.

Lindiwe Nkunana-Kgopa turned a rejection into one of South Africa's most inspiring entrepreneurial success stories by founding a business that has changed the landscape of female entrepreneurship in Africa. After being told she did not 'fit the profile' for a manufacturing role, she built an enterprise entirely owned and managed by women.

More than a decade ago, a comment at a women's event fundamentally changed Nkunana-Kgopa's life. Today, she is the founder and CEO of Lindiwe Sanitary Pads (LSP) and was awarded the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award 2026 for reimagining women's achievements in African manufacturing.

She recalled that the speaker at the event noted that there had never been a female president in South Africa, nor had any woman ever owned a large-scale sanitary pad factory. Although the audience continued its movement, Nkunana-Kgopa remained determined to change this situation. She emphasized: 'The entire industry, built on women's bodies, supported by women's needs and bought with women's money, has never belonged to a woman on an industrial scale.' This gap between who the industry served and who owned it prompted her to found LSP.

Today, Nkunana-Kgopa leads the first large-scale hygiene production facility in Africa that is exclusively owned and operated by women. Lindiwe Sanitary Pads, founded in 2018 in a home kitchen, has grown into a 4000 square meter factory in Centurion, Gauteng, capable of producing 800 South African Bureau of Standards compliant sanitary pads every minute.

The business now exports products to 11 African countries and employs women from previously underserved communities. Through partnerships and donation programs, the company provided free sanitary pads to over 100,000 schoolgirls in South Africa this year.

Born and raised in Limpopo, Nkunana-Kgopa became a mother while studying at university in Pretoria. Instead of letting circumstances dictate her future, she focused on creating a business that she felt Africa needed. However, gaining investor trust proved more difficult than developing the concept itself.

She remembers banking experts stating that she simply did not fit the profile of someone who could succeed in manufacturing. She responded that she intended to succeed, and the real question was whether they would be part of this success story. Rather than giving up due to unmet requirements, she built herself and her business until she met that profile.

Access to funding became one of the biggest hurdles for the nascent company. As the first producer entering a traditionally male-dominated industry, Nkunana-Kgopa struggled to convince lenders and investors to support her venture. Instead, she relied on business development programs, disciplined financial management, and relentless perseverance.

She noted that every setback—whether a facility delay, a difficult overdraft period, or stalled negotiations—was viewed as a problem to be solved, not a reason to stop. One defining moment occurred during one of the company's toughest periods. With little money, suppliers demanding payment and the business's future hanging in the balance, Nkunana-Kgopa invited potential sponsors to visit her factory instead of relying solely on presentations and documents.

This decision changed the company's future. She managed to secure R27 million in funding, allowing the business to transition from home operations to a modern production facility capable of supplying retail stores, wholesale buyers, and the National Dignity Program in South Africa.

Today, Lindiwe Sanitary Pads has 36 permanent employees and another 93 workers during peak production periods, most of whom are women from previously disadvantaged communities. For Nkunana-Kgopa, the greatest success of the factory lies not only in what it produces but in the opportunities it creates.

Through a partnership with Young Women of Africa, the company has expanded to 11 African countries, helping women entrepreneurs launch and own their own hygiene brands, creating new pathways to economic independence. This partnership also supports programs aimed at rescuing girls from child marriage and female genital mutilation, allowing them to return to school and build independent futures.

At the local level, government partnerships and the company's 'Buy to Give' initiative allowed over 100,000 schoolgirls in South Africa to receive free sanitary pads this year, helping to reduce menstruation-related poverty and school absenteeism. Nkunana-Kgopa believes that the hygiene industry exists because of women's needs, yet for decades, production has been predominantly male.

Creating an enterprise owned and run by women involved closing this gap, ensuring that the value created by an industry serving women is also claimed by them as owners, decision-makers, and industrialists.

In honor of Women's Month in South Africa, Nkunana-Kgopa hopes her journey will inspire more women to enter industries where they have traditionally been overlooked. She advises: 'Don't wait for someone to tell you that you fit the profile—build a track record that redefines what that profile looks like.' She urges people to expect underestimation and use it as fuel, rather than a demotivating factor, by deeply studying the technical and financial foundations of their industry, as competence is the strongest answer to doubt.

At 43, Nkunana-Kgopa stated that her ambitions extend far beyond expanding one company. She aims to leave behind an industry transformed by female leadership, where ownership ceases to be the exception and becomes the norm. She wants the industry to look fundamentally different from how she entered it—where African women are owners and industrialists in the menstrual economy, not just consumers. She wishes the LSP model of production, mentorship, and market access for other women-owned brands to be replicable across the continent long after she is gone.

Raymond Lifestyle reported an increase in consolidated losses to 22.59 crore rupees for the June quarter of 2026-27, compared to 19.82 crore rupees for the same period last year.

According to regulatory filings by Raymond Lifestyle, a company of the Raymond group, operating revenue increased by 6 percent, reaching 1,515.51 crore rupees in the June quarter, whereas this figure was 1,430.43 crore rupees a year earlier.

Raymond Lifestyle's report noted that the growth in productivity is due to premiumization in the domestic business and a significant recovery in the apparel manufacturing segment, supported by tariff rationalization between the US and India, as well as the implementation of a free trade agreement with the UK.

Raymond Lifestyle's total expenses for the June quarter rose by 6 percent to 1,598.60 crore rupees. Meanwhile, the company's total income reached 1,560.27 crore rupees, which is 5.78 percent higher than during the quarter.

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Commenting on the results, Satyaki Ghosh, Director and CEO of Wholetime, stated that based on the strong foundation of the financial year 26, the first quarter of the financial year 27 demonstrated stable performance, marked by strong international demand and a resilient domestic market.

He emphasized that the apparel manufacturing business showed exceptional growth of over 50%, demonstrating the strategic advantages of global trade trends such as tariff rationalization between the US and India, as well as upcoming free trade agreements with the UK and EU.

The Raymond Lifestyle brand portfolio includes brands such as Park Avenue, ColorPlus, Parx, Raymond Made to Measure, Raymond Ready to Wear, Sleepz by Raymond, and Ethnix by Raymond.