Fuel did not run out on 31 March. It was held back.
The pattern is too convenient to ignore. Service stations dry one day, prices rise the next, and supply suddenly returns. This is not a breakdown in logistics. It is a calculated decision to squeeze a little more out of a captive market.
Call it what it is: profiteering.
Artificial shortages do not just disrupt, they provoke panic. The moment motorists see “no fuel”, behaviour changes instantly. People rush to fill up, queues stretch for kilometres and supply chains come under unnecessary strain. A controlled market is thrown into chaos, not by external shocks, but by deliberate action.
Fuel is not an ordinary commodity. It is the backbone of economic activity. When access is manipulated, even briefly, the consequences are immediate. Transport is disrupted, businesses scramble and households absorb the pressure.
The Minister’s directive on 31 March makes the position clear. The deliberate withholding of fuel in anticipation of higher prices must stop, and those found to have created artificial shortages face punitive action . The warning is justified. What is at stake is not just pricing, but trust in the system.
Because this is ultimately about trust.
Fuel retailers operate in a protected, regulated environment. Margins are structured. Supply chains are supported. In return, the expectation is simple: keep fuel flowing. When operators exploit that position for short-term gain, they are not outsmarting the system. They are undermining it.
And the damage lingers. Consumers remember empty pumps. Businesses remember the uncertainty. Confidence in the market weakens.
There is no grey area here. Either the shortages were unavoidable, or they were engineered. If it is the latter, then this is not sharp business practice. It is market abuse.
The response must match the conduct. Investigations cannot end in warnings. If supply was withheld deliberately, penalties must follow and be seen to follow. Anything less invites repeat behaviour.
Because once greed is allowed to dictate when fuel is available, the market ceases to function fairly. It becomes a tool for extraction.
And that is a far greater risk than any price increase.
* Briefly is a weekly column that is opinionated and analytical. It sifts through the noise to make sense of the numbers, trends and headlines shaping business and the economy with insight, wit and just enough scepticism to keep things interesting. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ARE NOT OUR OWN, we simply relay them as part of the conversation.
