Engen Oil caught on wrong side of the law

Court Reporter
Engen Oil Zimbabwe appeared in court last Friday on allegations of selling unleaded petrol in their various filling stations in Harare.
Represented by its managing director Cremio Mapfumba, the company is facing charges of contravening Section 3 of the Petroleum Act Chapter 13.22 as read with Section 17 of 2013.
Mapfumba pleaded not guilty to the charges and Harare magistrate Mr Donald Ndirowei remanded the matter to June 26.

The complainant in the matter is the State represented by Zimbabwe Energy Regulation Authority (ZERA) technical director Mr Herbert Mataruka and its fuel technician Mr Misheack Siyakatshana.

Prosecutor Mr Farai Gatsi alleged that on February 5, this year ZERA officials collected random fuel samples from retail sites around Harare including Engen as part of their surveillance.

The samples were taken for tests by the Standards Association of Zimbabwe. It is alleged that on February 19 and 21 laboratory results revealed that samples from Engen Oil Zimbabwe, Eastlea, Highlands, Widdecombe, and Forester at corner Speke Avenue and Fourth Street, Kaguvi Street and Robert Mugabe Road, Bluffhill, Robert Mugabe Road and Leopald Takawira Street, Cripps, Motor Sales Josiah Tongogara Avenue and Houghton Park filling stations did not contain ethanol, therefore, it was unleaded fuel.

By so doing Engen allegedly contravened Section 3 of the Petroleum (Mandatory Blending of Anhydrous Ethanol with unleaded Petrol) Regulations 2013 published under Statutory Instrument 17 of 2013, which specifies that mandatory blending shall apply to unleaded petrol imported into the country by rail or pipeline.