Johannesburg - DA leader Mmusi Maimane has called for fuel levies to be cut by 20% to help alleviate the pressure of rising petrol prices on consumers.
Maimane was speaking at the DA and Outa march to the Treasury's offices in Tshwane on Tuesday.
The march has been sparked by growing calls for the government to do something about the rising price of fuel - as the petrol price has continued to increase unabated in the past few months. The latest fuel increase is expected on Wednesday.
Maimane said the government was being dishonest when it claims it has no control over the price of petrol. He said the fuel levies, which include the road accident fund levy and general fuel levy, were too high and could be simply cut to decrease the price of petrol to at least below R15.
"So no, it is not out of government’s hands. It is very much within their control. And if they refuse to lower this tax, then you have every right to demand answers from them," said Maimane.
WATCH: Half of our citizens do not know where the next meal will come from.
The fuel price hike is not helping the already depleted South Africans. #StopTheTaxAttack pic.twitter.com/dKTVYjMTUg
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) July 31, 2018
The DA leader said the poor were the hardest hit by these increases as the cost of transportation rises along with the price of food.
The Sunday Times recently reported that RAF was spending R1600 (per chair) on renting chairs, Maimane said this contributed to misuse of money and showed that "taxpayers were funding corrupt and wasteful expenditure" activities.
"So today we are here to say to them: No more. poor South Africans cannot be made to bail out the theft and the failures of this government any longer," said Maimane.
Read the DA's memorandum:
"We must have an urgent debate in Parliament on the way our fuel price is made up, and we must overhaul the Road Accident Fund to ensure a clean and transparent operation. But most urgently we must slash the combined fuel levies by at least 20%."
The party has also called for swift action to be taken against underperforming state-owned enterprises and what it sees as a bloated cabinet.