R773.
That is roughly how much more a typical driver (with a smallish car) now spends on petrol each month than in January of this year.
Petrol crossed R30 a litre this month. You felt it. I felt it. Every fill-up has become a small negotiation in our heads, supplemented by a few choice words muttered under our breaths.
Now think about the person who cleans your office. Who packs the shelves at your local store. Who answers the phone at reception.
They don’t fill a tank. They take two taxis. Sometimes three.
And when the fuel price rises, taxi fares follow. They were already up 11.5% in June, long before October’s record hike.
Same shock. Different landing.
You absorb it by skipping a weekend away. They absorb it by skipping a meal.
On R10,000 a month, getting to work already eats close to a third of the salary. There is no weekend away left to skip.
When fuel prices spike, we debate hybrid work. For the managers. For the analysts. For the people who drive.
Nobody debates anything for the receptionist in two taxis. She was never allowed to work from home in the first place.
Flexibility goes to those who can afford the commute. Not to those who can’t.
So here are my questions:
👉 When fuel hit a record this month, did anyone in your company ask how your lowest-paid people are getting to work?
👉Your hybrid policy helps the people with cars. What does it offer the people in taxis?
👉And if this month’s fuel shock is an inconvenience to you, what does it feel like on a fifth of your salary?
(Before anyone comes at me in the comments, I fully get that certain roles cannot be offered hybrid options - the cleaning staff, shelf packers, merchandisers, receptionists, tellers et al for obvious reasons - so this post is not about proposing hybrid options for roles that absolutely require physical presence daily, but rather about stimulating our thinking around how to mitigate the impact of rising fuel costs on lower wage earners, perhaps by simply compensating them better.)