Editor’s Thoughts.

We’ve barely had time to catch our collective breath before yesterday’s May fuel price announcement landed: petrol up R3.27/l and diesel up R6.19/l from tomorrow – even with the extended temporary fuel levy relief in place. “I have a full tank” is overtaking “I have a generator” as the most successful opening line on online dating platforms.

Discovery Insure’s Robert Attwell is already seeing how sharply people respond to these shocks: the data shows fuel volumes and trips dropped meaningfully in April as South Africans drove less, combined journeys and became far more deliberate about when they got behind the wheel.

All of  this hoopla of course caused by the US-Iran conflict in the Middle East – with tensions esalating once again and (rickety) ceasefires being tested (not helped by the POTUS’s comment that Iranian forces would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if they target US ships. Seriously.) This is the current geopolitical backdrop against which Alan Wood (Simeka Consultants & Actuaries) shares his market feedback for April.

Let’s bring it back home where, Sherry Sibeko (MiWay Insurance) and Edite Teixeira‑Mckinon (NFO) remind us that it’s not just how much you drive, but how you drive and what you’ve signed. Sherry’s five questions on policy cover, excesses and exclusions are crucial when every rand counts, while Edite’s case work shows how speeding and “due care” or 20km/h‑over clauses can determine whether your claim is paid or rejected.

Understand your costs, your cover and your conduct.

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