Fuel slowly returns to the Cape

By Megan Hartogh

Western Cape fruit farms are slowly receiving fuel supplies. This comes after diesel supplies ran dry in the Klein Karoo and Boland a week ago. However, if the fuel supply does not normalise this week, grape and peach harvests will be threatened. Should this occur, it would add to the fruit industry’s loss of millions of rands because of spoiled fruit. The fuel being received comes as the minister of Minerals and Energy, Lindiwe Hendricks, plans the establishment of a task team that will manage and co-ordinate fuel distribution. It is reported that the fuel shortage is due to fuel companies not keeping a 30 day fuel reserve, as per a moral agreement with government, ahead of switching to cleaner fuels in January 2006.