South Africa: Fuel Pumps Run Dry As South Africans Rush to Fill Tanks
South Africa is facing a fuel squeeze as people rush to fill their tanks before record price hikes hit at midnight on Tuesday.
By Monday, 143 stations had run out of diesel and 136 were out of petrol.
From Durban to the Cape Flats, people are posting on Facebook and X about dry pumps and long queues. The Fuels Industry Association of South Africa says the problem is not a lack of fuel. The group said there are not enough trucks to deliver it.
“The logistics can’t keep up with the demand,” said Siganeko Magafela. He is the association’s head of supply. Magafela said some companies are seeing three times more demand than usual, News24 reported.
While depots have enough stock, the backlog is a race against time. Avhapfani Tshifularo is the association’s executive director. He said more stations will likely run dry before the price goes up.
Petrol is expected to jump by about R6-litre. Diesel could rise by more than R10-litre.
Small towns are being hit the hardest. Some wholesalers are reportedly hiding fuel to sell it at a higher price later this week. This has left independent stations in the Western Cape, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape with empty tanks.
Farmers are worried as diesel is vital for their work. Agricultural groups are now asking the government to hike the price early just to stop people from hiding fuel.
International oil prices have shot up to over US$115-a-barrel. This happened after a conflict between the USA and Iran began.
Xoliswa Macingwane from the association said South Africa buys most of its fuel from other countries. This means local prices follow global trends.
By Scrolla.
