DA calls for urgent national debate regarding diesel shortage

25 June 2020

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will request an urgent debate of national importance in Parliament regarding South Africa’s current diesel shortage and the possible impending food crisis.

On Tuesday, the DA again requested an urgent briefing regarding the diesel crisis during the Portfolio Committee meeting on Mineral Resources and Energy, but was told that the committee was reassured by reports from the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) that the shortage was due to short term logistical issues, and not a serious concern.

This is a direct contradiction to the experience on the ground. According to reports wholesalers in various provinces have been unable to obtain diesel for about four weeks. And farmers are concerned that they don’t have enough diesel to harvest their crops, transport said crops to silos or mills, or even transport goods to shops.

The committee decided that the Department need only address the issue at a meeting on 19 August.

The dragging of feet on the diesel crisis will have devastating consequences on the country’s food security. It is therefore critical that the matter is debated in Parliament to ensure that tangible solutions are brought to the table, as clearly the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, and his Department does not have any idea how to fix this crisis.

The Department and the Portfolio Committee are both in denial about the seriousness of the situation and seems completely out of touch with the realities that South Africans face. The committee seems to lack any will to address this issue and are too easily swayed by the platitudes of the Department.

Issued by Kevin Mileham, DA Shadow Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, 25 June 2020