African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) leader Reverend Kenneth Meshoe has called for fuel price to be capped at R13 a litre to ensure South Africans enjoy a truly better life.

Speaking at Church Square in Pretoria during the Freedom Movement's protest against the rising costs of fuel on Tuesday, Meshoe said it could not be that Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland were paying less though they are supplied by South Africa.

“ACDP proposes that there must be a cap where petrol price does not go beyond that figure. If it goes according to my wish, R13 would be a cap. That petrol will never be beyond R13. If petrol is capped, South Africans will have a truly better life,” he said.

Meshoe said in Botswana petrol cost R10.91 per litre, in Lesotho they pay R11.05 per litre and in Swaziland a litre of petrol costs R12.78. He said the main reason South Africa’s neighbours were paying less than South Africans for fuel was that government in these countries cared for its people.

“They subsidise petrol but we have a government that does not care for its people. Therefore as South Africans we must say if the government does not care for us, that government must be taken out. South Africa deserves a government that cares for its people,” he said to a roaring applause.

Meshoe said to show that they care, the South African government must absorb fuel increases, saying that this was possible with political will. Motorists can expect more pain in the pump on Wednesday following an announcement by the Department of Energy that both grades of 93 and 95 (ULP and LRP) will rise by one cent a litre, taking a litre of 95 from R16.02 to R16.03 in Gauteng.