Saai tree suksesvol op teen Departement van Mineraalbronne en Energie se verbod

Die Suider-Afrika Agri Inisiatief (Saai) het suksesvol druk uitgeoefen op die Departement van Mineraalbronne en Energie om sy verbod op die kleinhandelverkope en verspreiding van petrol en diesel in houers terug te trek.

Ná die nasionale onluste en plundering in Julie 2021 het die Departement regulasies uitgevaardig wat die verspreiding van petrol en diesel in houers verbied het. Op 15 Julie 2021 het Saai se prokureurs aan die Minister geskryf en gevra dat die irrasionele regulasies dringend teruggetrek word. Op 16 Julie 2021 het die Minister aangekondig dat die regulasies teruggetrek sal word. Dit is egter nooit gedoen nie.

Gevolglik het Saai se prokureurs op 22 Julie 2021 en 4 November 2021 weer aan die Minister geskryf en hom versoek om die Departement se belofte gestand te doen en die regulasies terug te trek. In Desember 2021 het Saai hofstukke teen die minister uitgereik om die terugtrekking van die regulasies af te dwing.

Nadat Saai se hofstukke formeel aan die minister beteken is, het hy die terugtrekking van die regulasies in die Staatskoerant aangekondig.

“Die onrus is nou lankal iets van die verlede. Brandstofvoorraad in die land is lankal stabiel. Daar is nie meer ’n behoefte aan enige beperking nie. Die verbod het reeds ’n nadelige uitwerking gehad op die bedrywighede van baie boere wat nie soos voorheen brandstof in houers kan koop nie. Dit is jammer dat ons op die ou end die hof moes nader om die Departement te dwing om hierdie irrasionele en nadelige regulasies terug te trek,” sê Francois Rossouw, uitvoerende hoof van Saai.

Saai successful against Department of Mineral Resources and Energy prohibition

The Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai) has successfully pressured the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to withdraw its prohibition on the retail and dispensing of petrol and diesel into containers.

Following the national riots and looting of July 2021, the Department issued regulations prohibiting the dispensing of petrol and diesel into containers. On 15 July 2021 Saai’s attorneys urgently wrote to the Minister calling for the irrational regulations to be withdrawn. On 16 July 2021 the Minister announced that the regulations would be withdrawn. However, this was never done.

Consequently, on 22 July 2021 and 4 November 2021 Saai’s attorneys wrote to the Minister again, urging him to honour the Department’s undertaking to withdraw the regulations. In December 2021 Saai issued court papers against the Minister to compel the withdrawal of the regulations.

After being formally served with Saai’s court papers, the Minister has gazetted the withdrawal of the regulations.

 “The unrest has by now long come and gone. Fuel supply in the country has stabilised long ago. There is no longer a need for any restriction. The ban has already had a detrimental effect on the operations of a number of farmers who cannot purchase fuel in containers as they always used to do. It’s a shame that we had to approach the Court to compel the Department to withdraw these irrational and detrimental regulations,” says Francois Rossouw, Chief Executive Officer of Saai.