Namibian motorists will have to dig deeper in their pockets as fuel is expected to go up on Wednesday.
The increases follow under-recoveries of 68 cents per litre on petrol, 215 and 214 cents on diesel grades.
Petrol will increase by 60 cents per litre, while both grades of diesel will rise by N$1.60 per liter.
Petrol price at Walvis Bay will consequently rise to N$25.08 per liter, N$27.86 for diesel 50ppm and N$27.96 for 100ppm diesel.
For motorists, the latest increase is expected to put further pressure on household and transport budgets.
Windhoek motorist Matthew Kooper said he may have to reduce how often he drives as he struggles to absorb the additional cost.
“I will start driving less; I will start walking because I will not be able to afford it, because as you can see, N$2,000 is just eight liters. So after the price increase, it will become less; for N$2,000, you might get six liters. I will drive less.”
Yango driver Himee Ndjarakana also complains that he may have to spend more hours on the road to compensate for the additional fuel costs, while anticipating that the increase could also push up the prices of food and other goods.
“For me especially, or for us Yango drivers, it will affect us very much because we have a daily limit that we have to meet, or a daily cash-in requirement. With the fuel price going up, it becomes really difficult to meet that daily target. You have problems with the owner, and at the end of the day, you don’t make money for yourself. The surplus that you take home now has to be used to pay the owner. It means less money for us.”
Motorist Gabriella Stuurman also highlighted that the increase will force her to reconsider other expenses in her monthly budget.
“The monthly budget, it's going to take it out of proportion. Currently I only have a N$2,000 budget for fuel; it takes me through about half of the month. Now from the pay that I get, I must take an extra N$2,000, so something I must cut within the N$2,000, and I don't know what.”
Stuurman, however, stressed that reducing her driving is not an option, as she still needs to transport her children to and from school and run essential household errands.
Due to under recoveries, the Road User Charge Levy will increase by 30 cents per liter which the ministry stated is necessary to fund the implementation of the national priority feeder road projects.