Shell distances itself from filling station

CALISTUS KOLANTSHO
Correspondent | Friday July 23, 2010 00:00

The company said in a statement that it 'cannot guarantee the quality of the said fuel and shall not be liable for any damage or losses, which may arise out of the use of fuel from the filling station or any issues and incidents relating to safety that may arise'.

Retail Manager Attoungbre Liliane explained that Shell has a supply agreement with Danube Investment, the company operating the Sunrise filling station. She stated that under that agreement, Shell supplies the station with quality fuel and due to legal matters between Shell and the retailer, Shell has stopped the supply of fuel to the station until the resolution of the matter.

'The fuel currently being sold at the station does not come from Shell, and as such we cannot guarantee the quality of the product sold,' she said. She explained that the legal matter between the oil company and the retailer led to the interruption in fuel supply.

Liliane said that for reasons of confidentiality, the legal matter cannot be disclosed.

Motorists hoping to refuel at the filling station are being told that 'there is no fuel' by a security guard standing in front of the Quick Shop. One of the filling station supervisors, who did not reveal her name, told Business Week that she was not aware of the Shell statement. She said the only person who could shed light on the matter was the general manager. Efforts to contact the general manager proved futile as he refused to be interviewed.

 'This is a sensitive matter and needs to be addressed as such. I cannot give an interview over the phone,' he said.Sunrise filling station has over the years been a strategic refuelling centre for motorists along A1 Highway. When motorists have not filled up in Palapye, Francistown or Selebi-Phikwe, they often do that in Serule but that is no longer possible.

A resident, who identified himself only as Maema, said the situation was sad because the filling station had created employment for many residents of Serule 'but it seems workers will lose their jobs'.

Another driver, Tshiamo Ntele, said he did not fuel in Palapye because he expected to do so at the Sunrise filling station. He explained that the fuel he had was not enough to take him to Francistown.

 'I am now forced to leave my car here and hike to Francistown to buy fuel. This is not fair; if management is failing they should give the business to somebody else,' he said. Ntele said the filling station is on a busy highway and should not be allowed to close down.

Onkemetse Marumo, another motorist who left the station cursing, said that as residents of Serule, they are now doomed because there is no other filling station to service the village and its environs.

Efforts to interview the retailer proved fruitless as he kept on promising to come to Mmegi offices but never did so by the time Business Week went to bed.