SADC Trucking News: Cross-Border Logistics Insights from Kweli [2026]

Bar chart of what the last mile adds to a litre of Mozambican diesel, meticais per litre above the 116.25 MT port price, ARENE schedule effective 9 May 2026: Quelimane plus 4.45, Tete plus 5.39, Lichinga plus 7.02, Mecula plus 10.02, Mueda and Palma plus 15.60. The bar length is the road freight cost of getting a litre there.

Mozambique Diesel Price 2026: 116.25 MT and Six Regional Prices

September 1, 2026

Mozambican diesel rose 45.5% in a single step on 9 May 2026 to 116.25 MT a litre at the ports - and costs more the further inland you buy. The regional ladder,…

Bar chart of what diesel costs for one loaded leg on six Botswana corridors at 2.5 km per litre and P20.93 a litre: Gaborone to Johannesburg 398 km, P3,329; Gaborone to Francistown 436 km, P3,648; Francistown to Kasane 495 km, P4,146; Gaborone to Kasane 931 km, P7,796; Kazungula to Johannesburg 1,329 km, P11,127; Gaborone to Walvis Bay 1,504 km, P12,595. Distances measured on the road network from the Kweli corridor pool.

Botswana Diesel Price 2026: the P8.77 Jump and the Levy Suspension

September 1, 2026

BERA raised diesel by P8.77 a litre in March 2026, then suspended three levies to hold the pump. What that means for a Trans-Kalahari or Kazungula run, the P1.41 under-recovery still queued,…

Line chart of Tanzanian diesel, the EWURA retail cap price in Dar es Salaam in shillings per litre, twelve months from September 2025 to August 2026: TSh 2,754 at the start, a peak of TSh 4,333 in June 2026, and TSh 3,978 now. Source: EWURA monthly Public Notice on Cap Prices for Petroleum Products.

Tanzania Diesel Price 2026: EWURA Cap TSh 3,978 and the 12-Month Trend

September 1, 2026

EWURA caps diesel at TSh 3,978 in Dar es Salaam from 5 August 2026. A full 12-month series from the regulator's own notices, and the town-by-town table that shows what road freight…

Line chart of Namibian diesel 50ppm, the regulated pump price at Walvis Bay in Namibia dollars per litre, April to September 2026: N3.63 in April, a peak of N8.26 in May and June, and N7.86 from 2 September. Source: Namibian press records of the Ministry's monthly fuel price reviews.

Namibia Diesel Price September 2026: N$27.86 at Walvis Bay

September 1, 2026

Diesel 50ppm is N$27.86 at Walvis Bay from 2 September 2026. Because the Namibia dollar is pegged to the rand that is R27.86 - below South Africa's inland wholesale price. Plus the…

Line chart of Zambian diesel, the ERB uniform national pump price in kwacha per litre, thirteen months from September 2025 to September 2026: K25.02 at the start, a peak of K33.99 in May 2026, and K26.86 now. Source: ERB monthly Pump Price Build-Up notices.

Zambia Diesel Price September 2026: K26.86 and the 13-Month ERB Trend

September 1, 2026

The ERB held Zambian diesel at K26.86 a litre for September 2026 - the cheapest of the six SADC countries we track, and 21% below the May peak. Thirteen months of sourced…

Truck running with an empty curtain-side trailer, curtains rolled open

Empty Running Is the Real Fuel Cost: R11.64 a Kilometre Becomes R23.29

September 1, 2026

An empty return leg exactly doubles fuel cost per paid kilometre - the same on a 571 km lane and a 1 397 km one. Worked on road distances we measured.

List of activities that qualify for the SARS diesel refund

The Diesel Rebate and Road Freight: Who Actually Qualifies

September 1, 2026

Road haulage is not a qualifying activity for the SARS diesel refund. Here is the full list of what is, and what a transport operator can do instead.

Breakdown of what is in a litre of South African diesel at R29.11

What Is Actually in the South African Diesel Price (September 2026)

September 1, 2026

About R7.01 of every R29.11 litre is levy. The general fuel levy, the RAF levy, the slate - and the three-month levy holiday that ended on 1 July.

Line chart of the ZERA maximum diesel pump price in Zimbabwe, US dollars per litre, March to August 2026: an April peak of US$2.11, flat at US$1.95 since 24 July

Zimbabwe Diesel Price 2026: the ZERA Ceiling, the Trend and the Beitbridge Fill Decision

September 1, 2026

ZERA holds diesel at US$1.95 a litre. Why a dollar-denominated pump price behaves differently to a rand one, and whether it still pays to fill before Beitbridge.

Line chart of South African inland wholesale diesel 0.05%, rand per litre, September 2025 to September 2026: a May peak of R31.18, a July low of R24.79 and R29.11 in September 2026

South Africa Diesel Price, September 2026: the 13-Month Trend and What It Costs Per Kilometre

September 1, 2026

Wholesale diesel is R29.11 a litre from 2 September 2026, up 49.7% in a year while petrol rose 24.9%. The full sourced series, what drove it, and what it costs on the…

A short high-sided tipper beside a much longer curtain-side trailer, shown at the same scale

Why Bulk Trailers Are Short: Density, Payload and the Mass Ceiling

August 16, 2026

Bulk trailers are short. General freight trailers are long. That is not a styling choice — it is the density problem, solved in steel. Look at two trailer types side by side…

Ventilated multi-deck livestock trailer with cattle, at a farm loading ramp in South Africa

Special Cargo: The Loads Where the Truck Is Ordinary and Nothing Else Is

August 16, 2026

Special cargo is the freight where the truck is ordinary and everything else is not. It fits inside every legal limit. It needs no permit for its size. And it will still…