via Bulawayo24 NEWS | Nine companies prosecuted for selling contaminated fuel 21 December 2014
The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) says nine fuel companies have been prosecuted this year for selling contaminated fuel with plans already underway to revoke licences for repeat offenders.
With fuel prices remaining high despsite the tumbling of the commodity price on the international market, local fuel dealers are reportedly fleecing unsuspecting consumers as they sell contaminated fuel for maximum profit.
This year nine fuel companies were prosecuted for fraud, as they mixed diesel with paraffin, a development which has prompted the regulatory authority to be on the lookout monitoring the fuel quality on the market.
ZERA Chief Executive Officer Engineer Gloria Magombo said among the nine companies that were found on the wrong side of the law, five were repeat offenders while three companies were selling contaminated fuel.
The number of registered fuel companies has been increasing from 299 firms in 2012, to 384 in 2013 and this year there were 549 companies and due to stiff competition some have adopted unorthodox means of profiteering at the expense of motorists.
COMMENTS
Dear Editor
Please name the companies to shame the corrupt devils.
lets have names please.
Mixing paraffin with diesel reduces the lubricating ability of the diesel which damages injection systems. What can be worse is the high-sulphur diesel that some of the dodgy fuel companies sell us. The sulphur reacts with water vapour in our engines to form sulphuric acid which slowly dissolves engine components. Dodgy fuel companies buy this high sulphur diesel on world markets at rock-bottom prices and then sell it to the unsuspecting Zim public. There were independent organisations like the Motor Trade association that used to test our fuel quality etc. I doubt they exist or are effective anymore. It is safer to buy fuel from the only international fuel suppliers left in Zim: namely Total and Engen who have to follow minimum standards to protect their international name and integrity.
tell us the names of the companies so that we know where to buy better diesel.your story is not just worth it because you don’t name the culprits