Everything will be a little more expensive from Wednesday.
In fact, the next few months are going to require some fancy penny-pinching footwork from all of us.
At midnight tonight, we will have one of the biggest fuel price increases to date.
The reason for this is because of the levies that were announced in the budget speech in February, including the new General Fuel levy and an increased Road Accident Fund levy.
Let’s not forget the Carbon Tax that’s coming, but luckily that nine cents a litre is only being added to the petrol price in June.
How sad that we are happy about a delayed increase, only because we can’t have any.
Before we get there, as of Tuesday, we are already paying more for electricity.
And if yours is being supplied directly by Eskom, then, unfortunately, that increase goes from just over nine percent to almost 20%.
The funny thing is, every time this happens, it’s called “crippling increases”.
It was crippling years ago when the load shedding started and it’s still crippling today.
IMPACT: Electricity prices on the rise. Photo: Bloomberg.
But few notice the actual people who are being crippled by the constant, never-ending increases, that hit us in waves that never allows us to catch our breath.
It is an especially bitter pill to swallow at a time when we are hearing how some of our leaders have been enriching themselves.
And that really is the crux of the steady anxiety around price increases.
We sigh and accept that it’s coming and then we move on.
Next month a new set of increases are announced and it’s the same old same old.
But it never feels like our political leaders are feeling the pinch along with us.
In fact, I have been listening to them talk about numerous things.
Social media has also been full of comments about all the wonderful things they are doing and planning to do once we vote for them.
As the elections draw nearer, they are taking more and cheaper shots at each other.
Most of it is extremely entertaining, but at no point are they addressing what has become an issue of survival for many people.
And I suspect that’s because we have put our political leaders in very cosy positions, where they can easily absorb these increases.
So while R177 extra for a tank of petrol this month is going to cause major headaches for a lot of people, it won’t even make a dent in your local councillor’s weekly coffee budget.
Politicians will talk about caring, but the only time they will actually do anything about it, is if it affects them directly.
These are the things we need to keep in mind when we go to the polls next month.
While you are worried about affording lunch for your kids at the end of the month, the country’s top political leaders and their relatives are arguing over the exact meaning of the million rand payment that was made to them.
And which government-issue car they are entitled to this year!