Fuel Service Station Fined US$300 Over Contaminated Diesel
A Bulawayo fuel service station, Meizon Petroleum, was on Thursday arraigned before Magistrate Nomagugu Maphosa for selling contaminated diesel.
The fuel retailer, represented by Rangarirai Levison, pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined US$300 by the magistrate.
The court heard that on 19 September 2022, Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) inspectors visited the Meizon Petroleum fuel station to verify whether its fuel met set standards.
They extracted a sample from the diesel pump and tested it in the laboratory with the results revealing that the fuel was contaminated. The lawyer, Levison, said:
We did not know that we sold contaminated diesel fuel. The company is small, it does not have any of the machines for testing fuel before purchasing it and in Zimbabwe, there are no retailers selling these testing machines.
In May 2022, motorists alleged that a fuel service station at Lupane centre was allegedly selling petrol contaminated with water.
ZERA chief executive Addington Mazambane urged motorists to quickly report all cases of suspected fuel contamination so that the authorities can investigate and institute corrective measures.
More: Pindula News
