Fuel Retailers’ Association warns of risks of filling containers on forecourts

THE FUEL RETAILERS’ Association of Southern Africa (FRA) has warned its members about the risk of filling of containers with fuel at retail service station sites, because this encouraged more acts of criminality during this volatile period.

FRA chief executive Reggie Sibiya said that this was because fuel had been used in fuelling fires and the destruction of properties.

The local association’s members affected by the looting were said to have been left worse off than the last period of losses caused by the Covid-19 lockdowns.

“Our members have been reporting daily such incidents of looting and destruction which are on record. It is also important to realise that our members are basically now at the mercy of communities as they cannot get access to the product (fuel) when there is violence in the area.

“They are further at the mercy of oil companies on how quickly supplies can resume as well as insurance companies who will make the final decision as to how quickly they can provide capital to revamp the site damages,” said Sibiya.

The association said that they would need support from the oil companies to get back on their feet, such as credit terms on stock purchases. “Similar support will be required from other suppliers of the convenience stores whose supply relationships are governed by the oil companies,” he said.

Sibiya said the association, which guarded the interests of fuel retailers, would be watching closely whether such support would be made available by oil companies. “As industry leaders, Sapia members need not just mention challenges, but also what kind of support they will be providing. They also need not delay unnecessarily the supply of products while taking safety measures into account.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy said that it continued to interact with all energy and mining sector role-players during the ongoing unrest.