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Emily Mbewe Court reporter
A BULAWAYO service station owner was yesterday fined $400 for selling unblended petrol. Busumani Motors Service Station, situated along Fife Street, between 14th and 15th Avenue, went against a 2013 regulation, barring the sale of petrol that is not blended with anhydrous ethanol.

Thabani Tshuma, on behalf of the service station, appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Sibongile Msipa-Marondedze facing a charge of selling unleaded petrol.

Tshuma pleaded guilty and was fined $400.

Prosecuting, Taurayi Hondoyemoto told the court that on February 9, 2015 at about 5PM, a Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) official, Glademore Rongai, visited Busumani Motors Service Station.

Rongai requested samples of the petrol the service station was selling to the public.

“After the petrol samples were tested it was established that the service station was not in compliance with section 4(1) of the petroleum Mandatory Blending Anhydrous Ethanol with unleaded petrol (Amendment) regulation of 2013,”said Hondoyemoto.

He told the court that the laboratory tests carried out revealed that Busumani service station was selling 5900 litres of unleaded petrol.

Last year Zera chief executive engineer Gloria Magombo, responding to questions from the public, said companies that did not comply with regulations for mandatory blending would be prosecuted under the Petroleum Act with the possibility of withdrawal of their licenses.

Magombo was responding to concerns about the safety of the blended fuel after government announced plans to increase the level of mandatory ethanol blending with unleaded petrol from 5 to 10 percent and up to 20 percent by March 2014.

When Magombo was asked why Zimbabwe decided to have mandatory blending when in other countries people are given a choice, Magombo said the decision is in line with the national policy thrust to increase uptake of bio-fuels and contribute towards a cleaner environment.