Retailers accused of selling sub-standard fuel

QUESTIONS remain on the quality of fuel sold to motorists amid indications that some retailers were recently prosecuted for selling diesel adulterated with paraffin, casting doubts on the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority's capacity to rein in the sector. Car dealers who sell top-end vehicles believe that most service stations do not have capacity to test fuel quality and sell sub-standard products as a result.

Recently, parliamentarians quizzed Energy and Power Development Deputy Minister Engineer Munacho Mutezo on how Government was protecting motorists from sub-standard fuel.

Zera is mandated to monitor the quality of imported petroleum products.

"Government's policy is that every litre of fuel that comes into the country should be tested by Zera, and it is that arm of Government which needs to be approached by anyone with a specific issue.

"The Government policy is very clear, no sub-standard fuel should be allowed on the market, but on the issue that a car dealer is recommending a certain garage and not the other, I think it is a marketing strategy.

"The fuel in Zimbabwe is good for any other car. We believe that if a car engine has been damaged by using fuel which is not recommended, then one should seek legal recourse.

"The Government set down rules and regulations for Zera who had to set the specifications which are to be followed for all the fuels to be used by local cars in the country," Eng Mutezo told legislators.

It is believed that some local car dealers are advising their clients to only use "reputable" retailers. Local quality regulator the Standards Association of Zimbabwe said they could not respond to inquiries on the matter from this newspaper as Zera had instructed them not to respond to such questions.

Zera chief executive officer Eng Gloria Magorimbo said the regulatory authority had acquired a mobile laboratory that will be commissioned "soon", adding that routine checks had been able to identify some retailers who were selling contaminated fuel.

"Fuel quality tests are carried out at retail sites as Zera has purchased a mobile laboratory. A few retail sites have been found selling diesel adulterated with paraffin. These have been prosecuted through the magistrates' courts; Zera cannot name the service stations as some cases are sub judice," explained Eng Magorimbo.

She said 95 percent of all fuel used in Zimbabwe comes via pipeline and is collected at the National Oil Infrastructure Company depot in Msasa, Harare.

Zera derives its mandate from the Energy Regulatory Authority Act (Chapter 13:23) of 2011, read together with the Electricity Act No. 4 of 2002 (Chapter 13:19) and its subsequent amendments, and the Petroleum Act (Chapter 13:22) of 2006. Following the deregulation of the fuel industry in 2005, Zimbabwe has witnessed phenomenal growth in the sector with the coming in of more indigenous players. Currently, there are more than 30 fuel importers and 222 retailers.

Of late there have been questions over the suitability of blended fuel products on vehicle models. Local car assembly company Willowvale Mazda Motor Industries warned the public on use of the regulatory threshold of E15 (15 percent ethanol and 85 percent petrol) on its vehicles.

Last year, Nissan Zimbabwe expressed discomfort over the use of blended fuel beyond E10 levels. In a letter to Zera, Nissan Zimbabwe said their vehicles were designed to take a maximum 10 percent of ethanol-blended gasoline. It said if that percentage was to be exceeded, Nissan products would have fuel injection components changed and various rubber components installed into the fuel systems to cater for a higher ethanol blend.

However, other experts have pointed out that some countries, such as Brazil and the United States, have been using blends - sometimes of higher ethanol content - for years without experiencing the dire consequences being warned about.

Further, Zimbabwe used ethanol blends without incident up until the early 1980s. Government projects a significant saving on the fuel import bill from use of ethanol blends.