Years after the pandemic, however, as employers and employees alike became accustomed to a degree of flexibility, many organisations began to push for a return to the office, seeking to restore pre-pandemic working patterns. That debate has now been sharply overtaken by events. The conflict in the Middle East has triggered what the International Energy Agency (IEA) has described as the "largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market". The near-total halt in tanker movements through the Strait of Hormuz — a narrow passage through which approximately 20 percent of the world's oil supply normally flows — has sent energy prices surging across the globe. South Africa, which imports crude oil and fuel is particularly to this supply shock.
The repercussions of this conflict are felt by workers, employers and households across the globe, and South Africa is no exception. Since the conflict began, the average price of Brent crude oil has surged from approximately US$98 to US$110 per barrel during the period under review, with prices at times exceeding US$112 per barrel. The impact in the South African context is significant. With effect from 1 April 2026, the retail price of 95 Unleaded petrol at the coast increased by R3.06 per litre to R22.49 per litre, whilst in Gauteng, 93 Unleaded now costs R23.25 per litre. Diesel has been hit harder. Without the government's, a temporary R3 per litre reduction in the general fuel levy, petrol...
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