BL Premium reports that motorists have been advised not to panic-buy petrol, as the country’s fuel stocks are deemed sufficient, despite the closure of the SA Petroleum Refineries (Sapref) on Tuesday.
Panic buying of fuel ensued on Tuesday, with long queues reported at Durban petrol stations as several ran out of fuel while others were closed. There were also reports on Wednesday of motorists arriving at petrol stations in other provinces in their numbers to fill up their tanks. Avhapfani Tshifularo of the SA Petroleum Industry Association (Sapia) advised that the “preliminary assessment indicates industry has sufficient stock”, although he noted that the industry was “constantly monitoring the situation”. The Sapref refinery declared force majeure to customers in a notice on Tuesday as it closed its doors amid rampant unrest and looting in KwaZulu-Natal. Force majeure is a contractual provision that can be invoked when unforeseeable circumstances prevent a company from fulfilling a contract. Sapref, which is jointly owned by Shell and BP, said it was unable to sustain refinery operations as suppliers of “critical” materials had suspended deliveries to the refinery due to safety concerns for their staff and damage to their vehicles. Reggie Sibiya of the Fuel Retailers Association of Southern Africa said members currently had sufficient fuel and shortages had only been experienced in hotspots of unrest that could not be reached. The Automobile Association’s Leyton Beard commented that if Sapref was unable to refine and deliver product, then logically there were likely to be supply problems down the line. He, however, urged motorists not to panic-buy.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisa Steyn at BusinessLive (paywall access only)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page