The General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (Giwusa) has noted alarming inflation figures based on the latest report released by Statistics SA for April 2026.
Giwusa president, Mametlwe Sebei, noted that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose sharply from 3.1% in March to 4.0% in April.
“The real story for working people is far more brutal,” he added.
The steepest fuel increases
Sebei asserts that the primary driver of this spike was a staggering 18.2% monthly surge in fuel prices. According to StatsSA, this price increasehas been the steepest since the current CPI series began in 2008.
He noted that this had pushed inland 93-octane petrol to R23.25 a litre in April, while housing and utilities rose to 5.2%, and insurance and financial services rose to 5.7%, all while wages remained unchanged.
“We are told that food inflation eased, but this small comfort is wiped out by the fact that transport costs, driven by diesel, have exploded.”
“A worker does not live on bread alone – they must get to work,” Sebei said.
The permanent injustice
Sebei expressed that they are tired of being told that fuel hikes are “temporary” because, for a worker commuting by taxi daily, they are real and lasting.
“History proves beyond doubt: once taxi fares go up because of a diesel price surge, they never come down – even when global fuel prices later fall.”
“This is pure price gouging enabled by government inaction,” Sebei says.
Giwusa demands a legally enforced mechanism that ties maximum minibus and taxi fares directly to the actual cost of fuel, with mandatory reductions when fuel prices decline.
‘Economic madness.’
Sebei added that the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) is threatening further interest rate hikes to fight inflation, a move he called “economic madness.”
“Raising rates will not reduce the price of imported fuel.”
He claimed it would not stop a taxi cartel from overcharging, but rather increase monthly bond and loan repayments for workers, crush small businesses and co-operatives, and trigger mass retrenchments.
“Instead, we demand an immediate interest rate reduction. Workers need relief, not more punishment.”
Price Controls
Giwusa demands mandatory price controls on all essential goods and services, including:
- Basic food items (like maize meal, bread, cooking oil and milk)
- Public transportation fares (including taxis, buses, and any future rail)
- Fuel (petrol, diesel and paraffin)
Sebei said that self-regulation by corporations has failed and that no worker should be forced to choose between a loaf of bread and a taxi ride to work.
Public transport expansion
Sebei acknowledged that the only permanent escape from taxi cartels and fuel shocks is a massive, state-led expansion of cross-subsidised public transport. He urgently called for the full-scale revitalisation of passenger rail (Prasa) to provide a dignified, affordable alternative to road transport.
He also called for an expanded road-based mass public transport system, including buses and dedicated lanes, that is state-subsidised and fare-regulated.
Sebei asserted that a strong public transport option is the only force that can break the cycle of “fuel up, fare up; fuel down, fare stays up”.
“Stop bleeding us dry,” he added.
