MBOMBELA, Mpumalanga — Some fuel stations in Mbombela have run out of diesel and petrol as the country prepares for a significant fuel price increase set to take effect at midnight. Motorists reported driving from station to station in search of fuel, with empty pumps at some sites and long queues forming at others.
Residents attributed the shortages partly to panic buying, as drivers rushed to fill up their tanks before the scheduled hike. One motorist described arriving at a station only to be told that petrol was finished.
“It’s a very big problem for us because most of us were using our cars for business,” the motorist said. “So if we don’t have fuel to perform our duties, it becomes a very big problem.”
Another driver expressed concern over the rising costs and supply issues, noting visits to stations in White River where diesel was running low. “The present price is going up and it’s killing us,” the driver said, adding that they needed to fill their car before midnight and secure an extra 25 litres as backup for the coming weeks.
Adding to the frustration, some motorists noticed that certain filling stations had already adjusted their prices hours before the official increase. One resident complained about the lack of recourse: “We don’t have a place where we can go to complain… we have from the media that the price is going to be up tomorrow but… the other filling station is already [putting] the money so we have no space where we are going to go to cry. We don’t have support from government.”
The price adjustments come as petrol is set to increase by R3.06 per litre, while diesel faces steeper rises of R7.37 and R7.51 per litre depending on the grade, according to official announcements.
Despite the challenges for private motorists, the biggest public transport operator in Mpumalanga, Buscor, stated that it is prepared and has secured sufficient fuel supplies to handle the busy Easter travel period.
“For now, we are not negatively impacted because we’ve got three depots with fuel tanks that can take about 6 weeks for each depot,” a Buscor spokesperson said. “However, if we don’t replenish, we will definitely be impacted.”
The company uses over 1.6 million litres of diesel per month, with supplies delivered by its provider, Solomon. “Our supplier which is Solomon will have to continue delivering as they are and I’m not sure if they can cope with the delivery,” the spokesperson added.
Many in Mbombela fear that the ongoing shortages could persist, placing further pressure on already stretched household budgets as the higher fuel prices kick in.
The situation highlights broader concerns over fuel supply and affordability in the region during a peak travel period.
