{"id":854926,"date":"2026-03-25T17:12:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T15:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=854926"},"modified":"2026-03-25T17:13:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T15:13:06","slug":"mantashe-issues-a-warning-to-petrol-stations-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/energy\/854926\/mantashe-issues-a-warning-to-petrol-stations-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Mantashe issues a warning to petrol stations in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe has warned petrol stations that withholding fuel is illegal and has promised to prosecute those found to be doing so in South Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a Q&A session in the National Assembly (NA) on 25 March, Mantashe made it clear that any deliberate attempt to withhold fuel from the market would not be tolerated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His warning comes amid growing concern over diesel availability in parts of the country, despite repeated assurances from government and industry that South Africa is not facing a national fuel shortage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mantashe said there is currently no overall shortage of fuel in South Africa, nor is one expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, reports from across the country suggest that many filling stations and wholesalers are already struggling to source diesel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some claim they are unable to obtain supplies from the major oil companies that import fuel into the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister warned that some dealers may be tempted to withhold fuel to maximise profits ahead of the sharp fuel price increases expected next month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mantashe said his department would investigate whether diesel suddenly becomes more widely available again once higher prices kick in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This would strengthen suspicions that fuel had been intentionally withheld, and those who have withheld their diesel will face serious consequences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warning follows mounting fears of supply disruptions as South Africans brace for a massive increase in fuel prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest daily snapshot from the Central Energy Fund, released on 25 March, points to potential hikes of R9.67 per litre for 500ppm diesel and R9.81 per litre for the cleaner 50ppm diesel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That has triggered concern not only among motorists, but also among businesses and farmers who depend heavily on diesel to operate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Civil action group AfriForum has warned that supply chain disruptions could lead to sporadic fuel shortages nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signs of shortages are already being reported<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
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Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The group said localised shortages could still cause major inconvenience and create safety risks for road users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe civil rights organisation\u2019s community safety structures have received feedback from multiple sources that some petrol stations in South Africa are running out of fuel, particularly diesel,\u201d the group said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AfriForum spokesperson for community safety, Jacques Broodryk, urged motorists not to be complacent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMotorists should not wait until their cars are almost out of fuel before they start looking for a petrol station,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt a time when there is great uncertainty about the supply of fuel, it is wise to always maintain a reasonable safety margin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities have urged residents not to hoard fuel in anticipation of price hikes, while the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources said it is closely monitoring the situation and working with industry players to maintain fuel security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fuel Retailers Association has also insisted that there are no widespread shortages. However, agricultural stakeholders have said the picture on the ground is more troubling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agri Western Cape CEO Jannie Strydom said farmers are already struggling to secure diesel at a critical time, as the winter planting season begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c70% to 75% of the feedback indicated that they do not have access to fuel,\u201d said Strydom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The implications could be severe. Diesel makes up between 12% and 18% of farming input costs, and some producers are now considering scaling back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re now considering reducing the hectares,\u201d Strydom said, warning that prolonged supply issues could hurt agricultural production in the weeks ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe has warned petrol stations that withholding fuel ahead of massive price increases anticipated next month. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":834005,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9874],"tags":[25079,853],"class_list":["post-854926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy","tag-mineral-and-petroleum-resources","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=854926"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":854938,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854926\/revisions\/854938"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/834005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=854926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=854926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=854926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}