Resources and guidance
Practical guidance for consumers and petroleum-industry participants who want to act safely, preserve useful information and report concerns responsibly. This information is general guidance and is not legal, engineering, laboratory or regulatory advice.
Petroleum Integrity Knowledge Hub → · Checklists and practical resources → · Report Fuel FAQ →
Immediate danger
Do not use Report Fuel for an emergency or crime in progress. Contact the South African Police Service on 10111 or emergency services from a mobile phone on 112. SAPS advises that 10111 is for police emergencies; non-emergency matters may be directed to the nearest police station.
Possible fuel-quality concerns
Symptoms such as unusual loss of power, abnormal smoke, difficult starting, repeated filter blockage, unexpected consumption or engine warning lights may justify professional inspection, but symptoms alone do not prove adulteration or off-specification fuel.
- Stop using a vehicle or equipment if continued operation may be unsafe or cause damage.
- Keep the fuel receipt, tax invoice and payment record.
- Record the station, supplier, date, time, pump or delivery details and product grade.
- Obtain advice from a suitably qualified technician.
- Use an appropriately competent laboratory and documented sampling process where testing is justified.
- Do not take unsafe samples or open fuel systems without appropriate competence and equipment.
Preserving useful information
Useful information may include contemporaneous notes, original photographs, invoices, delivery notes, licence documents, vehicle or tanker details, correspondence and laboratory reports.
- Keep original files and documents unchanged.
- Record when, where and how information was obtained.
- Preserve filenames, dates and available metadata.
- Make a working copy if annotations are necessary and retain the original separately.
- Do not fabricate, edit or combine material in a misleading way.
- Do not trespass, impersonate another person or access a system without authority.
Petroleum Evidence Preservation Checklist →
Buying fuel responsibly
Before buying from an unfamiliar supplier, consider independently checking:
- the correct registered legal entity and registration details;
- the identity and authority of the person offering the product;
- the relevant petroleum licence and whether the activity matches the licence;
- the stated supply source, depot and delivery route;
- banking details and unexplained last-minute account changes;
- product specifications, pricing basis, taxes and delivery terms; and
- invoices, delivery notes, quantity records and chain-of-custody documents.
A licence application, approval letter or copied certificate should not automatically be treated as proof that a current licence has been issued to the correct entity for the stated activity. The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources provides petroleum licensing resources and publishes application-status information. Independent verification may require direct confirmation with the competent authority.
Petroleum Supplier Due Diligence Checklist → · Petroleum Licence Due Diligence Checklist →
FWA and LicenseCheck
For independent petroleum licence, supplier and depot verification, use LicenseCheck. For petroleum-industry regulatory guidance, membership and industry support, use the Fuel Wholesalers Association. These functions are separate from Report Fuel’s incident-reporting role.
LicenseCheck verification services → · FWA regulatory resources →
Warning signs that require further checking
No single warning sign proves misconduct. Further verification may be appropriate where there is:
- pricing materially inconsistent with credible market conditions without a clear explanation;
- pressure to pay quickly or to a recently changed bank account;
- refusal to identify the legal entity, licence holder, supply source or depot;
- documents with inconsistent names, numbers, dates, formatting or contact details;
- delivery vehicles or documentation that do not match the agreed supplier or product;
- requests to misdescribe products, quantities, routes or counterparties; or
- unwillingness to permit reasonable independent checks.
Storage, spills and environmental risk
Do not approach a suspected unsafe storage site, spill, fire or vapour hazard. Move to a safe location and contact the appropriate emergency or environmental authority. Record observations only from a lawful and safe position.
Reporting criminal activity
For an emergency, call SAPS on 10111. SAPS also provides Crime Stop on 08600 10111 for anonymous information about criminal activity that is not an emergency. Report Fuel does not replace police reporting where immediate law-enforcement action is required.
Submit through the secure channel
When ready, submit information through secure.reportfuel.com. Choose anonymous, confidential or identified reporting and retain the access code generated by the portal. Do not email report information or evidence.
Editorial standards
Resources should identify their source or reviewing authority, publication date, material limitations and review date where relevant. Technical or legal guidance should be reviewed by an appropriately qualified person, and outdated or incorrect material should be corrected or withdrawn transparently.