DIESEL DANGER: FUEL CONTAMINATION THREATENS MOTORISTS

Fri 25 October 2024:

Motorists are being warned that contaminated diesel could potentially be pumped into their cars. Diluted with illuminating paraffin, dirty diesel poses a threat to unsuspecting motorists.

Speaking in an interview with Newzroom Afrika on Thursday, Avhapfani Tshifularo of Fuels Industry Association of South Africa (FIASA) said dealers were “taking advantage of the motorists who don’t really know what is happening”.

Recently, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) identified a suspected major player in the illegal diesel blending market. The agency shut down one depot in Louis Trichardt, Limpopo, and another in Meyerton, Gauteng.

Unfortunately for motorists, they most likely find out they have been conned when it is too late.

“The only time that you can pick up that there is a problem with your fuel is when there is engine failure and then, when you take your car to the dealer, then they will do some tests. That’s really the first time where, if you are a normal motorist, you would discover that there is (sic) some foreign objects in your diesel,” said Tshifularo.

Earlier, a government investigation found that at least 70 petrol stations across the country were supplying contaminated diesel at their pumps. The decades-long practice helps them get away with cheaper costs.

Tshifularo said there was a decline in reported activities since the early 2000s, but incidents have increased dramatically in the past five years.

“It’s predominantly because of the incentives that exist for these unscrupulous operators; because of the differential between the price of paraffin and diesel,” he explained.