South Africa’s Automobile Association (AA) says it is concerned about filling stations selling contaminated fuel to consumers.
This follows a recent report by the Mineral Resources and Energy Department, which found contaminated diesel in scores of filling stations in the country, state broadcaster SABC News reports.
The report revealed the contaminated diesel is mixed with ‘illuminated paraffin', which can damage vehicles, reduce their efficiency, and increase the emissions of harmful pollutants.
AA Spokesperson Layton Beard says the impact this has on vehicles is immense and that petrol stations may not be aware that the fuel they get from suppliers is contaminated.
'Big problem'
“How widespread the problem is, I think we simply don’t know. The big problem, of course, for consumers is that there is no way for them to actually know if the diesel they are buying is contaminated,” said Beard.
The authorities have not given details of the source of the contaminated fuel and have not said whether some people have been arrested.
The Energy Department says it conducted an investigation from April to December last year as part of the fuel quality monitoring, noting that defaulting fuel stations ‘’cannot be named and shamed due to the POPI Act.’’
However, the defaulters have been issued with none compliance notices.
"Obviously, non-compliance means they cannot sell that fuel, and if there is proof of the damage, consumers can take action,” says Beard.
“What we can say to consumers is that if you go to a service station and you find that the diesel price is too good to be true, then you must be suspicious,” says Robert Maake, Spokesperson: Mineral Resources and Energy.
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