Fill up before Wednesday, 7 October — that is the practical message for anyone driving in South Africa this week. Projected figures from the Central Energy Fund show petrol climbing by more than R3 a litre in some grades, pushing prices at the pump past R30 a litre for the first time.

The numbers, reported via IOL, break down like this: 93 Unleaded is set to rise around R3.08 a litre and 95 Unleaded roughly R3.29, while diesel gains between R2.80 (500ppm) and R3.15 (50ppm). If the hikes land in full, 95 Unleaded should hit about R29.23 at the coast and R30.10 inland, with 93 Unleaded around R29.94 in Gauteng. Wholesale 50ppm diesel could top R34 a litre at the coast and R35 inland once retail margins are added.

For road-trippers, the maths is sobering. A small car sipping 5.5 litres per 100km now costs roughly R1.65 per kilometre to run, up from about R1.11 in March. Over a typical 1,500km month of driving, that takes a small car's fuel bill from around R1,666 in March to nearly R2,470 in October. Drivers of compact SUVs using about 8 litres per 100km face roughly R3,593 for the same distance.

The cause is familiar: elevated international oil prices, driven largely by Middle East tensions and worries about supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for global crude shipments. It is not a one-off either — 95 Unleaded has already climbed R6.58 between March and September this year, and wholesale diesel rose by more than R10 over the same stretch.

Help from the government looks unlikely in the short term. In April, the General Fuel Levy was temporarily cut by at least R3 a litre for two months to soften the blow, but Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe has said there are no immediate plans to repeat that intervention. Unless oil prices ease or Pretoria changes course, the higher prices will simply stick.

For holiday planning, the takeaway is straightforward. Budget fuel as a headline cost rather than an afterthought — a Garden Route loop or a Kruger drive in a thirsty SUV can now add hundreds of rand compared with a few months ago. Choosing a fuel-efficient car, sharing rides, and filling up in cheaper regions (inland prices run higher than coastal ones) all help. If you are renting, check the fuel policy and consider whether a smaller vehicle makes more sense for long distances. The era of R30-a-litre petrol has arrived in South Africa, and trip budgets need to catch up.