Gauteng fuel supply remains tight, shortage widens

Three days before Christmas, Gauteng was still experiencing fuel shortages, the SA Petroleum Industry Association (Sapia) said on Thursday.

"Sapia confirms that the petroleum industry is experiencing fuel supply constraints in some areas of Gauteng," Sapia executive director Avhapfani Tshifularo said in a statement.

"The supply situation is being closely monitored by the Logistics Planning Team, which consists of members of the petroleum industry, the department of energy and Transnet."

He said some service stations might face sporadic shortages of one or more grades of fuel as oil companies tried to reduce the delivery backlog.

"Everything possible is being done to improve the situation and we will continue to keep the public updated," said Tshifularo.

Earlier this week fuel company Shell said petrol stations were expected to run dry of certain grades of fuel. This was as a result of "production issues" at an inland refinery and the shut down of its Alberton fuel depot.

Shell spokesperson Elton Fortuin said in a statement that the shortage was now also affecting the Mpumalanga and Free State provinces.

Fortuin said this was because "the company is sourcing fuel from its depots in those areas to assist in alleviating the fuel shortage in Gauteng...

"Shell retail sites in Mpumalanga and the Free State are at also risk of intermittent stock outs on certain fuel grades," he said in a statement.

The company's Alberton fuel depot was shut down for safety reasons last Friday after a fuel leak and Fortuin said they hoped "to be in a position to restart the site later this week."