SA truckers fill up in Swaziland

MBABANE – SA motorists and truck owners residing or working anywhere near Swaziland are crossing the border to enjoy significantly less expensive fuel prices. Following last week’s fuel price hikes in SA, diesel is on average R1.50 cheaper per litre in Swaziland, while petrol is R2.50 cheaper per litre. “There is a queue to get through customs at the border, but I do it to fill my tank here,” said Amos Fraiser, a truck driver who filled the tank of his rig at the Caltex petrol station at Oshoek border post. Oshoek is Swaziland’s principal border gate serving traffic to and from Gauteng and parts of Mpumalanga province. Some freight haulers from Johannesburg who make deliveries in Swaziland and who spoke to FTW last week said they had been instructed by their home offices in Gauteng to fill up in Swaziland. “With a big (petrol) tank, you can save hundreds of rand. Fuel prices in South Africa are crazy. Government is trying to tax us to death,” said another trucker. SA fuel hikes were predicated by the drop of the rand’s value against the US dollar, according to SA Reserve Bank Governor Gill Marcus. The international price of petrol products was also a factor. In Swaziland, fuel prices are kept down relative to SA by a government subsidy. The road freight industry is anticipating a price hike, which can come at any time. Meanwhile, SA vehicle owners who can detour to Swaziland are taking advantage of the current price difference.