Fuel Alerts
The Fuel Alerts archive is reserved for verified, public-interest information about petroleum-sector risks. It must not be used to publish rumours, commercial disputes or unverified accusations.
Purpose
An alert may be appropriate where timely, verified information can help consumers, businesses or authorities understand and reduce a material risk. Alerts may include:
- official regulatory or safety notices;
- verified scam or impersonation warnings;
- fuel-quality or product notices supported by competent evidence;
- licensing or documentation warnings of broad public relevance;
- corrections or withdrawals of earlier notices; and
- educational advisories addressing recurring, substantiated risk patterns.
What an alert is not
An alert is not a finding of criminal or civil liability, a substitute for a regulator’s notice, or proof that a person or organisation committed misconduct. A report received through the secure portal does not become a public alert merely because it was submitted.
Publication threshold
Before an alert is published, the approved reviewer should document:
- the source and date of the information;
- the steps taken to verify authenticity and current relevance;
- corroboration from an appropriate independent or authoritative source;
- the public-interest purpose and urgency;
- the risk of unfair harm, misidentification or interference with an investigation;
- privacy, confidentiality and reporter-safety considerations;
- whether a person or organisation should be offered a reasonable opportunity to comment; and
- the authorised approval and planned review date.
Naming people or organisations
Names should be published only where identification is necessary for the alert’s legitimate public-interest purpose, the information is sufficiently verified, disclosure is lawful and the risk of unfair harm has been considered. Describing an allegation as an allegation does not cure inadequate verification.
Use of official notices
Where an alert relies on a regulator, law-enforcement agency, court, laboratory or other competent body, it should link to or accurately identify the original source, date, reference and current status. Report Fuel should distinguish clearly between the source’s statement and its own explanatory commentary.
Status labels
Each alert should display a clear status, such as:
- Active: currently applicable information;
- Updated: materially revised after publication;
- Resolved: the identified risk or event has concluded;
- Withdrawn: the alert should no longer be relied upon; or
- Archived: retained for historical transparency but not current guidance.
Corrections and withdrawals
Material errors should be corrected promptly and transparently. A correction should explain what changed and when. A withdrawn alert should remain traceable where lawful, clearly state that it has been withdrawn and explain the reason without repeating harmful information unnecessarily.
Reporter confidentiality
Alerts must not identify or enable the identification of an anonymous or confidential reporter. Information drawn from reports should be aggregated, redacted or independently verified before publication. Access codes, attachments and secure communications must never be published.
Emergency information
Fuel Alerts are not an emergency-notification service. For a police emergency or crime in progress, call SAPS on 10111 or emergency services from a mobile phone on 112.
No alerts currently published
There are currently no active public Fuel Alerts. Any future alert will require documented source verification, appropriate approval, privacy and confidentiality checks, a review date, and a clear correction or withdrawal process.