Motorists barred from purchasing fuel in containers
Motorists across the country have been barred from purchasing fuel in portable containers.
This is in accordance with a notice published in the government gazette by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy.
"In the interests of public safety associated with the ongoing unrest, today the Department issued ‘Regulations Prohibiting The Sale And Dispensing Of Petrol And Diesel Into Containers’,” it said.
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"The Regulation is issued in terms of section 2(1) (a) read with section 12C(1)(a)(v)(aa) of the Petroleum Products Act of 1977 and serves to prohibit retail sales of petroleum products to members of the public in portable containers."
Violence and disruptions erupted in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, leading to the temporary closure of one of the country's largest oil refineries SAPREF in Durban.
South Africans in various parts of the country have been left scrambling for fuel, days into the widespread civil unrest.
Earlier this week, Minister Gwede Mantashe met with board members and executives of the Mining Council of South Africa (MCSA) and the South African Petroleum Industry Association (SAPIA) this week to discuss the ongoing unrest and its effects on the fuel supply.
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Mantashe says there is sufficient product.
"While there are challenges with regards the movement of petroleum products to some parts of the country, there is sufficient product and the government is working to secure the movement of all petroleum products.”
