#SouthAfricaIsBurning: Fuel shortage forecast for KZN and Gauteng as suppliers halt operations
The increasingly volatile situation in parts of the country is now creating further panic, desperation, and fear as more industries shut down, affecting critical supplies such as food, fuel, medical services, and other essential services.
The latest to announce a temporary halt in operations is the Shell and BP South African Petroleum Refineries, whose suppliers have suspended deliveries.
The knock-on effects will be huge with vast and crucial sectors of the economy dependent on fuel and transport.
The South African Petroleum Refineries is the largest crude oil refinery in Sub Saharan Africa and provides around a third of the country’s fuel supplies. The impact of its temporary shutdown will have far reaching consequences.
Shell and BP refinery said fuel tankers were not able to safely access the roads to deliver petroleum to service points in and out of KwaZulu-Natal.
The Automobile Associations Layton Beard said it was inevitable that Gauteng would be negatively impacted.
“We are going to have supply problems, maybe not this week but certainly in a week or two weeks, and that remains a concern for us,” he said.
Many motorists had already started queuing at petrol stations, and consumers have been panic buying after a warning of food security from the president this week.
PICKING UP PIECES AND PROTECTING THE COMMUNITY
Foreign shop owners whose businesses were looted in Soweto say they were left with the clothes they are wearing and have nowhere to go.
One shop owner said he lost everything.
“So right now, we only the clothes we’re wearing and I lost one shoe and we lost everything. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow morning, we didn’t have even my baby tomorrow morning,” he said.
He hoped his fellow countrymen, would help.
“They actually broke all security systems, so we are trying to fix with the police now helping us,” said the shop owner.
The army had started patrolling at the malls, but some center owners said as soon as they leave, the looting continues.
-EWN
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