So the oil price is hovering above US$100 per barrel and that means that we in South Africa will have to pay more for our fuel. Apparently, the petrol price may go up next week and it will be over R8 per litre. FLIP!!!! I can’t believe it, R8 per litre, that’s madness! So what’s going on? Firstly, I hate globalisation, secondly, I hate that we have no say in the fuel price and thirdly, what’s happening with Bio-Fuels? So globalisation/market related forces help set the fuel price but in the last 10 years the oil price has gone up from just over US$10 per barrel to US$100 per barrel. What has happened in the last ten years? Apparently China and India are consuming more oil but at the same time more oil has been found in Russia, Africa and South America, so they can meet demand. I’m not an oil expert but I think there is more to this than we think. The oil price has been going up due to crazy reasons like potential war in Iran or a real war in Iraq. However, this year Iraq has increased oil supply, the most since the war begun. Supply has been increasing but the price continues to go up. So what can I do? What can we do? Nothing, its out of our control, the fuel price is in the hands of supplier nations, oil companies and speculators, who make so much money selling oil. All we do is pay more for fuel.

I thought when I voted for political leadership and pay taxes they would step in and help me with things like this. This was wishful thinking but I expect more of my leaders, even if this is out their control, they need to step in and make a plan. If they don’t we could be paying R10 per litre soon. Our cars could become really expensive luxuries. We would be forced to use public transport but the infrastructure for that may not be able to cater for an increase in commuters. And in places like Northern Johannesburg, public transport is not that good. The government would have to buy more Metro buses and increase taxis across the nation. Can the government afford that? Are they not focusing on another crisis, Eskom and the 2010 FIFA World Cup? I can’t see them being able to afford increasing public transport infrastructure. So I like you will just have to pay more for fuel. I like you will have to pay more for food and other consumables as an increase in the cost of fuel will increase the cost of production of everything. On top of no electricity, we will have to pay more for everything else. Flip!!

Since the Al Gore film, Inconvenient Truth, a lot has been said about the environment and the need to stop depending on fossil fuels and moving to Bio-Fuels. So what is South Africa doing? Do we not grow large amounts of maize? I think we do but not much is being said about Bio Fuels. I think Bio Fuels would help control the increase of the fuel price. Bio Fuels could be significant component in our fuel. But the government and fuel companies are not saying much. So once again we suffer. Flip!