The unprecedented demand for fuel in Botswana which has seen the demand days gone up folds in recent days, and has caused long queues at commercial fuel stations has prompted the Minister to comment on the situation

The Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, Mr Lefoko Moago, in an interview, warned against hoarding of the commodity in view to sell illegally or to sell for a higher price later.

He said the COVID-19 protocols like social distancing are not being observed. The supply of fuel from South Africa to Botswana is being partly hindered by vandalism of some refineries which are now performing below capacity.

He said panic buying and stockpiling may also encourage illegal trading which is strictly prohibited by the Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority (BERA).

Here are excerpts from his interview:

“In any industrial setup, when production capacity is not met, it affects the whole conveyer belt of supply chain, that is why we are in this kind of setup.”

“We have recently experienced a supply/demand mismatch caused by panic buying by motorists, which worsens the situation. I want to advise Batswana that they should only fuel their vehicles and avoid stockpiling it at home due to safety risks.”

Last month, the National Oil Company of Botswana announced a drop in supply from South Africa and it was stepping up efforts to make purchases from Namibia and Mozambique.

Also, the Ministry released a press statement addressing the current issue. The statement buttressed the Minister’s comments of a disruption in the supply chain which has posed several challenges to oil marketers in the country.

Over 90% of Botswana fuel is supplied by the private sector with the National Oil Company, Botswana Oil Limited importing limited volumes for stocks (both strategic and commercial) based on orders from oil companies. The government said it has released 30.8 million litres of strategic and commercial stocks but the demand is still more than the supply.

Panic buying is the reason for the queues at fuel stations, and the released read “we have recently experienced a supply/demand mismatch caused by panic buying by motorists, which worsens the situation. I want to advise Batswana that they should only fuel their vehicles and avoid stockpiling it at home due to safety risks.”

Another release from the BERA urged the general public to take precautions amidst their panic buying of petroleum products as they are highly inflammable. It said illegal traders caught selling petroleum products will be punished according to the provisions of Section 34 of the BERA Act.