Minister Ntshavheni reassures South Africans about stable fuel supplies amid panic buying

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has stated that the country has an adequate fuel supply for the immediate future. Despite reports of fuel shortages at some petrol stations in parts of South Africa, the government has reassured motorists that there is no national supply crisis, attributing the disruptions to panic buying and logistical constraints. “South Africans are discouraged from panic buying and fuel hoarding,” Ntshavheni said on Thursday while briefing the media on the outcomes of the latest Cabinet meeting.

She explained that dry fuel stations were largely the result ofincreased demand and distribution pressure rather than a collapse in supply. “Depending on how South Africans behave, that will determine the extent to which we’ve got the supply,” she said. The shortages come in the wake of a sharpfuel price increase that took effect this week, with petrol rising by R5.26 per litre, diesel by R9.49 per litre, and illuminating paraffin by R10.80 per litre, driven by global oil market pressures linked to the ongoing US-Iran conflict.

In response, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and Mineral and Petroleum Minister Gwede Mantashe announceda temporary R3 reduction in the general fuel levyfrom April 1 to May 5 to cushion consumers. Despite this intervention, concerns over supply intensified, even as the government reiterated that South Africa holds about eight million barrels in strategic fuel reserves and does not rely primarily on crude oil imports from the Middle East. Industry bodies have echoed the government’s stance, pointing to demand spikes rather than supply failures. The Fuels Industry Association of South Africa said above-normal demand at service stations, coupled with limited road tanker availability, had contributed to delivery delays and intermittent stock-outs in several regions.