Government says there are no petrol shortages in South Africa – Motorists say otherwise

The government and petroleum industry stakeholders have assured citizens that South Africa is not at risk of petrol and diesel shortages, but motorists are already reporting low supplies and price hikes at forecourts across the country.

Last week, both the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) formally announced that South Africa’s fuel supply was secure.

It added that it will maintain contact with oil companies to ensure the stability and security of the fuel supply and is closely monitoring the conflict in the Middle East.

“While prolonged geopolitical tensions may exert pressure on international oil prices, the department wishes to assure the public that there is currently no immediate risk of fuel shortages in South Africa,” it explained.

This was confirmed by the Fuels Industry Association of South Africa (FIASA).

Responding to a query from TopAuto, FIASA said that there is currently no threat of that [fuel shortages] happening as fuel retail supply is secured.

TopAuto later published an article on the state of South Africa’s fuel supply, based on feedback from the DMRE and FIASA; however, we later received several comments and emails from motorists highlighting their experiences with fuel shortages, rationing, and price hikes at petrol stations.

One reader emailed TopAuto with two short videos depicting the fuel situation in Gqeberha.

Both videos showed massive lorry queues stretching as far as the eye could see in either direction. The person filming the video claims that commercial truckers are driving all over town in search of a fuel station with diesel.

Commenters on social media have shared similar experiences. One individual on Facebook said they cannot load their trucks at gantries and that most of the filling stations they have come across are empty.

The civil action group Afriforum has also spoken out about petrol and diesel shortages in South Africa.

It warned that certain forecourts across the nation are already experiencing fuel shortages as a result of the conflict in the Middle East.

Afriforum said that South Africa has become increasingly vulnerable to instability in the Middle East due to its reliance on oil imported from the region.

Over the last few years, South Africa has shut down multiple refineries to the point that only two remain – NATREF, and Astron Energy.

Consequently, the country has shifted from being mostly self-sufficient to importing approximately 65% of its refine fuel.

Afriforum noted that most of South Africa’s oil now comes from refineries in the Middle East in countries like Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

This puts South Africa in a precarious position now that Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, shutting off commercial access to the Persian Gulf.

This has resulted in cancelled and delayed fuel shipments for many countries, including South Africa.

The DMRE commented on the issue, stating that local suppliers are currently exploring alternate supply markets that are not directly impacted by the conflict in the Middle East.

Fuel shortages are a real possibility – Afriforum

Afriforum warned that disruptions to the supply chain could lead to sporadic fuel shortages across South Africa.

Furthermore, it warned motorists that they could be caught off guard if they do not plan ahead.

The civil rights organisation’s community safety structures have received feedback from multiple sources that some petrol stations in South Africa are running out of fuel, particularly diesel.

These reports come from around the country where filling stations alert clients of limited or no supply.

“Although this is not yet a national crisis, fuel shortages locally can still be an inconvenience and even pose safety risks for road users,” said Afriforum.

The group called on motorists to plan accordingly and carefully monitor their fuel consumption.

“Motorists should not wait until their cars are almost out of fuel before they start looking for a petrol station,” said Jacques Broodryk, spokesperson for community safety at AfriForum.

“At a time when there is great uncertainty about the supply of fuel, it is wise to always maintain a reasonable safety margin.”

However, FIASA has warned motorists not to panic-buy fuel, arguing that it drastically increases demand and can lead to the very shortages that people are worried about.

In a recent interview with ENCA, FIASA representative Avhapfani Tshifularo explained that citizens need to work together to ensure the fuel supply remains stable.

“We need to tackle this as a collective. We’ve got a global crisis, which is impacting the way we supply fuel in the country,” he said.

“So it means what is important is that we need to stick to our own normal purchasing patterns. We don’t need to deviate from that, because otherwise we’ll create unnecessary imbalance in the supply chain.”