Farmers hurt by ban on selling fuel in containers

A double dose of bad news for South Africa with new petrol regulations and a steep petrol increase on the cards as people struggle to get petrol following the unrest.

Last night, the department of mineral resources noted it had received many complaints on the ban of containers.

“A ‘container’ refers to an object that is not approved for the holding or transporting of petrol and diesel according to the relevant South African National Standards,” it said in a statement.

On Thursday, the Automobile Association (AA) called on consumers to limit nonessential travel and warned that unaudited mid-month fuel price data from the Central Energy Fund reflected a chance of substantial fuel price hikes at month-end.

“Fuel prices were already trending higher before the widespread looting and unrest of the past few days,” the AA said.

The mid-month data indicates that petrol was set for an increase of 87 cents a litre, diesel 58 cents, and illuminating paraffin 56 cents.

The AA said the supply of fuel will not push the prices of fuel higher, but rather the weakening rand as a result of the riots, which will play a major role as the exchange rate was a key indicator for the local fuel price.

Yesterday, motorist Tim Flack got stuck without petrol on a road 200m from the nearest petrol station in Strand in Cape Town. Flack phoned his insurers for roadside assistance.

“The lady said she cannot send someone with petrol to me because they are not allowed to put petrol in a can.”

Instead, his insurers sent a flatbed truck to collect Flack’s car. Henry Geldenhuys, president of TLU SA, said the agricultural union understood the government’s decision to enforce the regulation banning the sale of fuel in containers.

“But the decision is short-sighted and affects farmers explicitly. Farmers must be able to buy fuel in containers,” Geldenhuys said.

Linda Mbatha, national director for the Sibambisene Foundation in Alexandra, said obtaining petrol was already difficult without the ban.

– marizkac@citizen.co.za