Public warned of illegal petrol mixed with ethanol and paraffin being sold on black market

* Only fuel grade ethanol not ordinary ethanol that should be mixed with petrol

* Petrol mixed with ethanol and paraffin extremely damages car engines as it results into serious fuel corrosion

* Paraffin has higher flash point temperature than petrol — meaning it generally burns hotter

* And can accelerate burning of fuel injectors and valves, as a result you can lose your engine easily

By Temwa Malire, MANA

Malawi Regulations Authority (MERA) has urged Malawians to use fuel up at service stations and avoid purchasing petrol through illegal fuel vending on the black-market.

This is after the discovery that the black market is selling petrol which is being mixed with ethanol and paraffin that extremely damages car engines as it results into serious fuel corrosion.

Following a report that MERA released on August 3, 2022 cautioning the nation against illegal fuel trading practices, a lot of motorists have not taken the message into consideration and its now costing them a lot to fix their car engines and approximately can lead to road accidents if the practice continues.

Commenting on the development, head of department of mechanical engineering at Malawi University of Business & Applied Sciences (MUBAS), Dr Suzgo Kaunda said it was unfortunate that illegal selling of fuel on the black market continues to flourish.

“Paraffin has higher flash point temperature than petrol — meaning it generally burns hotter and can accelerate burning of fuel injectors and valves, as a result you can lose your engine easily,” he said.

Kaunda added that it was difficult to monitor quality of fuel sold on the black market and concurred with MERA that motorists should just top up from filling stations.

“On mixing of petrol with ethanol, we need to be cautious as we have fuel grade ethanol and ordinary ethanol. It is only fuel grade ethanol that should be mixed with petrol.

“I don’t think fuel grade ethanol is sold to individuals like they do at filling stations, people must put that into consideration. We know we are in tough times but as efforts to stabilize fuel supply are underway, let us act wisely.”

In amidst of the fuel crisis that’s distressing the country for a moment,  consumers are commended to report illegal fuel vending activities and retailers of petroleum products suspected of engaging in discriminatory and deceitful practices to the nearest Police Station or call Toll-free tip-off anonymous 874.

Last month, MERA closed Murray Road Total Filling Station in Lilongwe from doing business on allegations that its pump attendants were swindling customers and also demanding tips for motorists to be sold fuel.

In punishing the filling Station, Kachaje had said such conduct was undermining efforts to equitable distribution and access of fuel to the public and is a serious violation of the Liquid Fuels and Gas Act MERA).

The fuel scarcity, which mainly is due to shortage of forex but was being exacerbated by non-motorists, who were queuing up to fill into jerry cans to resell on black market and when MERA outlawed the practice, the vendors found another way through motorcycle taxis (Kabaza) who were cutting the queues, fill up full tank, drive off to siphon the fuel into jerrycans and come up to refuel.

These kabaza operators congest the pumps, leaving motorists waiting for far too long and thereby making the queues much longer than they could have been if the kabaza taxis were to queue behind motor vehicles on first come first serve.

When filling stations management started registering a Kabaza operator, who filled up full tank and were being rejected after their return some minutes later, others came in with an innovation using their vehicles by filling up full tank to resell.

Such vehicles would stop at strategic places, especially near pubs and market their products and as of last week, they were selling petrol at K4,000 a litre.

Meanwhile, the long queues are yet to stabilize after MERA told the media last week that the country is expecting to receive 12 million litres of petrol and 13 million litres of diesel by this week — which aims at filling its 60 million litre fuel capacity reserves.

Accompanied by Minister of information, Gospel Kazako and Minister of Energy, Ibrahim Matola at a press briefing in Lilongwe, MERA’s chief executive officer Henry Kachanje assured the public that fuel availability would improve by mid this month.

“Fuel availability will improve by next week as 40 fully loaded tankers from Tanzania are coming to the country and 30 other tankers are also about to load the product.”

He further said government has already secured a US$60 million revolving financing facility specifically aimed at improving fuel importation in the country.

He said MERA sympathizes with the general public on fuel shortage, which has become a big challenge to the country, saying that is why the government is doing all it can to improve the situation for good.

“We, therefore, have asked the Reserve Bank of Malawi to rescue the situation by assisting fuel importers with forex so that they should be able to import more fuel product,” he said.

In his remarks, Minister of Information, Kazako asked for Malawians’ resilience as the government is tirelessly working to improve the situation.

“It hurts to see citizens queuing for long for fuel and for that reason the government cannot just sit and watch things going worse like that as this Tonse-led administration is a responsible government,” Kazako said.—Additional reporting by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express