Several inland filling stations have stopped selling petrol as suppliers struggle to move product through Gauteng’s pipeline network, motorists and retailers reported this week. Diesel customers in the same region also face intermittent outages, while the national petroleum industry blames “logistical constraints” for the disruptions.
Retailers say the shortages began around 10 May and intensified after a fire damaged a section of the Transnet petroleum pipeline between Durban and Heidelberg. Transnet has not provided a timeline for normal flows, and the Transnet Pipelines website shows only that “repair teams are on site.”.
Fuel retailers’ body the South African Petroleum Retailers Association (SAPRA) told Business Tech that “stations are receiving partial or no deliveries,” with some inland sites already out of 93-octane unleaded and low-sulphur diesel. SAPRA advised forecourts to limit sales to 50 litres per vehicle “to stretch available inventory,” a step already visible at garages in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs on Tuesday.
The constrained supply has revived calls from the Fuel Retailers Association (FRA) for an immediate pump-price increase. FRA chief executive Reggie Sibiya said in a letter to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy that the current pricing structure “does not absorb extra transport costs when primary depots cannot deliver,” and urged the DMRE to invoke its “three-month averaged freight tariff” formula that could add roughly 37 cents a litre.
Energy department spokesperson Thandiwe Maimane said officials are studying the request, adding that “any adjustment will be announced at the beginning of June.” South Africa recalculates fuel prices on the first Wednesday of each month.
Concerns over a diesel surcharge eased on Wednesday when TotalEnergies Marketing South Africa reversed a 15-cent hike it had applied at wholesale level on 11 May, citing “improved batch availability at Langlaagte depot.” A spokesperson said the company reverted to regulated prices “to maintain market conformity,” but did not predict how long current wholesale rates would last.
Cosatu warned that sustained outages could “choke public transport and food deliveries,” urging government and industry to open fuel reserves held by the Strategic Fuel Fund. SFF chair Luvo Maki confirmed “inventory is available,” but added that releases require cabinet approval.
A separate spat is unfolding in Cape Town where new municipal by — laws set a 1-megawatt cap on embedded solar generation for businesses that feed excess power into the city grid. Critics say the threshold stifles large rooftop projects that could ease Eskom load-shedding, while city officials argue that higher inflows need stricter voltage regulation.
Mayoral committee member for energy Beverley van Reenen said the limit “protects network stability,” but pledged to review it if a planned R22 million upgrade of three substations succeeds. Eskom’s Western Cape supply head Alwie Lester welcomed debate on the cap, noting that “every additional megawatt helps during daytime peaks.”.
Industry figures suggest South African commercial rooftops could host 4–6 gigawatts of solar within five years, with Cape Town accounting for roughly 20%. Business group Accelerate Cape Town said lifting the ceiling would “send a clear investment signal,” while the city counters that a national grid code update is needed first.
Source: Business Tech
