Fuel dealer in soup for selling unleaded petrol

A FUEL dealer based in Kadoma was yesterday brought to court to answer charges of selling unleaded petrol at his service station in Rimuka in contravention of the government’s mandatory blending law. 

Tatenda Ziyambi (22), a director of RVC Service Station, was charged with flouting Section 57 of the Petroleum Act Chapter 13:23, which compels dealers to sell fuel blended at the ratio of 15% anhydrous ethanol to 85% unleaded petrol.

Ziyambi, whose service station has since been closed by the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera), was on August 19 this year allegedly found selling unleaded petrol.

Ziyambi, who initially admitted to the crime at the start of the trial before altering his plea to not guilty yesterday, told the court on August 18 he paid $12 000 for 3 088 litres of fuel, also consisting of diesel, from TJ Fuels of Harare who delivered the consignment later that night.

Ziyambi professed ignorance of the quality of the fuel and whether or not it was blended as required by law. He said the fuel was offloaded into underground storage tanks at the service station, before telling the court he intended to put it on sale.

The following day, the court further heard, Gladmore Rongai, a Zera fuel quality technician, descended on the garage situated at Machipisa shopping centre and found the accused’s employees selling suspected unleaded petrol to motorists.

Rongai, acting on that suspicion, took fuel samples and subjected them to tests sing his mobile laboratory and discovered the petrol did not contain ethanol.

Further quality tests were done by the Standards Association of Zimbabwe which also established the petrol was undiluted. Rongai then issued a non-compliance ticket against Ziyambi.

Magistrate Farai Gwitima is expected to hand down judgment on Monday next week. Tinashe Matiyashe represented Ziyambi, while Herikiya Maromo prosecuted. Newsday