With the petrol price expected to jump this week to a new record high, and by the highest amount yet, it is clear that the government is confronted with difficult choices. Additionally, none of the options available appears to be sustainable and the spillover anger might become a point of grave danger.

Because the South African government has little control over the real reasons for the global oil price hike and volatility, it is entirely possible that its response options could only become narrower for the foreseeable time.

It is clear that the fuel price problems have been growing steadily over a long period. It is now possible that the government, and the country, could be making bad decisions in the short term that will lead to greater disaster in the longer term. While the immediate causes are rooted in events over which the government has no control, it is also obvious that it is not participating in any condemnation of those who created this situation in the first place.

There can be no doubt of the importance of fuel to any economy, and ours is no different. The price of fuel also has a multiplier effect, affecting, among other...