Warning about bad fuel damaging engines in South Africa

The South African Petroleum Industry Association (Sapia) has warned of shady dealers mixing diesel with paraffin to boost volumes and offer better prices.

However, this has various consequences for the country and its motorists, including significant tax revenue losses and damage to vehicle engines and other diesel equipment caused by dodgy diesel.

Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Sapia CEO Avhapfani Tshifularo noted that paraffin sales have effectively doubled over the past half decade.

As illuminating paraffin is zero-rated in South Africa, Tshifularo says these dodgy dealers are incentivised, as they could pocket R6 to R7 per litre.

“If you look at what was sold like some, let’s say, five years back, it was roughly 600 million litres per annum,” he said.

“Today, if you look at the number as of December 2024, you’ll see that easily 1.2 billion litres of paraffin has been sold. This equates to a roughly R4 billion loss in tax revenue.”

Tshifularo said another major problem is that the paraffin in the dodgy diesel damages vehicle engines and other diesel-powered equipment.

He added that the sale of diesel mixed with paraffin impacts South Africans across the board.

“There are operators who will sell this diesel to commercial customers. This will be agricultural customers, transport companies, who buy diesel without knowing,” he said.

“It’s a good bargain and goes into some of the garages.”

Tshifularo added that it can be sold to unsuspecting motorists once it makes it into garages.

He noted that the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy recently conducted random testing at some service stations around the country and found that 70 were selling diesel containing paraffin.

“It’s an across-the-board problem that needs to be confronted,” said Tshifularo.

Diluting diesel with paraffin, known as “spiking,” has several consequences, including increased engine wear and tear and damage to fuel system components.

Adding paraffin lowers diesel’s viscosity and lubricity, meaning it doesn’t lubricate engine parts. This leads to increased friction and wear in fuel injectors and fuel pumps.

The lack of lubrication can also cause premature wear and failure of other fuel system components.

Paraffin also has a lower flashpoint than diesel, allowing it to ignite more easily. This isn’t always a major problem, but it can contribute to engine instability and other potential problems in certain conditions.

Diesel fuel typically contains additives for cleaning, detergency, and corrosion protection. Paraffin doesn’t have these additives, further contributing to the potential for damage.

Mogas 95 disaster

In April 2024, petrol stations in the southern parts of the country were forced to stop selling their unleaded 95 petrol due to issues with the fuel.

They were told to stop selling Mogas 95 after motorists complained of it causing paint stains on their vehicles.

One major company told its petrol station owners that it was suspending all sales of the Mogas 95 grade while it conducted further analyses.

“We regret to advise you of a potential product quality concern related to Mogas 95 supplied from the Mossel Bay terminal,” it told petrol station owners.

However, a while later, it said that petrol stations could continue to sell whatever unleaded 95 petrol they had in their tanks.

Motorists have complained about the petrol since October 2023, and petrol stations have said the issues caused significant revenue losses despite not being the retailer’s fault.

“They are refusing to take responsibility and pay back retailers,” one retailer said. “And yet this was a faulty product supplied by them.”

“When you run a fuel station and can’t sell fuel, that hits you in the pocket. It also threatens a lot of jobs.”

At the time, Tshifularo said the issue was being taken seriously and investigations included sampling and testing the petrol in question.

PetroSA said it was also investigating the complaints and said the batch of fuel, like those before it, was tested by independent parties and found to be compliant with industry standards.

“PetroSA remains committed to ensuring security of supply of quality products and has enough stock to supply demand,” said Nonny Mashika-Dennison, group manager for communications at PetroSA.