The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) in South Africa has initiated an investigation into seventy fuel stations across the country for allegedly supplying watered-down diesel.
The department’s annual fuel quality and monitoring programme for 2023 revealed initial findings that implicated these stations. Among the provinces, Limpopo had the highest number of incidents, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the North West.
Robert Maake, the DMRE director for fuel pricing, explained that during the period from April to December last year, they discovered that 70 service stations were selling diesel that appeared to be contaminated with illuminating paraffin.
However, due to the Promotion of Access to Information Act, the DMRE cannot disclose the names of the stations involved in the investigation.
To address this issue, the DMRE will issue a compliance notice to each of the service stations implicated. These stations will have 14 days to respond to the notice.
If they fail to respond within this timeframe, a final notice will be issued, giving them an additional 14 days to comply. Should the stations still not respond, the DMRE will proceed with the process of canceling their operational licenses.
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The investigation aims to ensure the integrity of fuel quality and protect consumers from purchasing substandard diesel.
Supplying watered-down diesel not only compromises the performance of vehicles but also poses potential risks to the environment. The DMRE remains committed to upholding fuel quality standards and holding accountable any fuel stations found to be in violation of regulations.
Consumers are advised to remain vigilant and report any suspicions of fuel adulteration to the relevant authorities.
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