Selebi-Phikwe hit by shortage of fuel

CALISTUS KOLANTSHO
Correspondent | Wednesday June 16, 2010 00:00

 

Speaking to Mmegi in an interview this week, Selebi-Phikwe Shell Filling Station managing director, James Hughes, said 'the situation is bad and the supply is erratic'.

He said they have not been given any explanation by Shell Company head office in Gaborone concerning its failure to deliver fuel. Retailers are suffering, he complained.

He said the shortage is also experienced by other filling stations, among them Engen, Total and Caltex.

'We have not been given any explanation in black and white by Shell. The only explanation that we are getting is that the situation has been caused by Transnet workers strike in South Africa at the end of May and the beginning of June. That is not good enough because that has long passed,' he said.

Hughes observed that fuel demand during the World Cup is also a contributing factor to the shortage. He said Botswana does not have transport that can be used to ferry fuel from South Africa. Transport in South Africa is being used to meet the demand of the soccer spectacle, he observed.

Hughes mentioned that Botswana receives most of her fuel through South Africa. He stated that plans to acquire fuel from Mozambique by the Botswana government might take close to five years to be completed and it will cost the country a lot of money.

'We knew that this was coming but we failed to store enough fuel in our reserves as a country,' said Hughes. He said the situation has not only affected Shell but also government departments such as the Selebi-Phikwe Government Hospital, the Town Council and Water Utilities Corporation are also suffering.

He said tourism operators and farm owners from the Tuli Block are travelling to come and buy diesel from Selebi-Phikwe where it is also dry.

He said Shell retailers received messages on their cellphones warning them that they will experience fuel shortages during the month of June. He complained that they should have at least written them some letters.

He went on to say that there is also shortage of 500 millilitres of oil and the only available supply is five litres and most motorists do not need it.

'We are losing customers and it is bad for business. Despite the crises we are going through, we will not retrench our staff.

They are like family to us. The crises will not be a permanent thing and I guess things will normalise soon. The government and oil companies must work together and find a solution to the problem,' he said.

Bosele Filling Station manager, Frank Korunich, said he has been operating without fuel or oil for a few months now. He said he ordered 15,000 litres of paraffin on April 19 and the order has been delivered even today.

He mentioned that when he inquired about it last Monday he was promised that it would be delivered in the afternoon of the same day but that did not happen.

He stated that when he called to ask on Tuesday morning he was told that his order is on hold because he has not paid. 'How can I pay when Shell has not given me an invoice? Despite that I have deposited their cheque today and I am just waiting to see the response,' he said.

Korunich said the situation is bad and it is causing him to suffer losses and customers. He said the fuel problem existed way before the Transnet strike.

He stated he did not have fuel for 11 days in May and during that period he lost close to P220,000.

'How will I survive when I lose so much money?' he snapped. Korunich said he will be forced to retrench some of his employees if the situation does not get better because he will not be able to pay them their salaries.

He said Shell is pulling out of Africa but that does not mean it should make its retailers suffer by not supplying fuel.