- Inspection covered 70 fuel service stations in and around Gabs
- No service station registered below 50% across a range of categories
A fuel service station in Mogoditshane and another in Tlokweng have performed dismally in a compliance assessment conducted by the Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority (BERA)
The fuel regulatory body has issued a compliant and non-compliant report in which it uses its star rating tool to urge fuel service stations to comply and improve their performance. The initiative is aimed at incentivising petroleum stations to improve service standards and comply with BERA regulations. According to the assessment, 5 stars represent excellence performance, 4 and 3 stars represent good performance, 2 stars represent fair performance while a single star represents merely okay performance.
The assessment report shows that a service station in Mogoditshane and Tlokweng did not register a star. However, no service station has registered below 50 percent. According to BERA’s Acting Chief Operations Officer, Gift Bakumbi, the star rating assessment of 2022 was conducted around petroleum service stations in Gaborone. It is in accordance with BERA’s legal mandate to monitor performance of regulated entities as conceptualised in 2019/20 and development of tools (through a consultative approach) for the purpose.
Bakumbi said the purpose of the star rating is to monitor performance of retail facilities, promote voluntary compliance, improve service delivery, strengthen regulation through public participation, reduce monitoring and compliance costs, and improve the overall aesthetic value of retail sites. The inspection was conducted on 70 fuel service stations in Tlokweng, Gaborone, Mogoditshane, Gabane, Metsimotlhabe, Kopong and Mamashia between 2021 and 2022. Among other things, the assessment included, safe operations, environmental protection, service quality, capacity building, quarterly reports submitted to BERA based on a set framework, fatalities, lost time injuries, fire incidents, vehicle accidents, minor spills, major spills, and consumer complaints.
Fuel stations were also inspected for stockouts, non-compliances (sanctions), staff training, consumer feedback: questionnaires completed by consumers and mystery shopping: a controlled assessment mainly done to validate consumer perception. Bakumbi said petroleum service stations that were rated 4-star were found in Mamashia (93.8 percent 4), one near Glick Motors (93.3 percent 4), one along Kaunda Road (86.4 percent 4), one at Fairgrounds (83.2 percent 4), one at Commerce Park (82.5 percent 4) one along the A1 Highway in Gaborone (82.0 percent 4), and one in Mogoditshane (82.0 percent 4).
BERA’s assessment report also shows that 3-star rating filling stations were found in Setlhoa (79.3 percent 3), one at South Ring Mall ( 79.0 percent 3), one in Mogoditshane (78.6 percent 3), one along Fourways (78.3 percent 3), Tlokweng (77.7 percent 3), along Bordergate (77.0 percent 3) in North End (77.0 percent 3), in 17 Village (72.4 percent 3) in Block 6 (72.2 percent 3) in Phakalane (70.1 percent 3) in Tsolamosese (69.8 percent 3), in Kgale 69.7 percent 3), in Metsimotlhabe (69.7 percent 3), in Kwena Mall (67.0 percent 3), in Railpark (66.2 percent 3), in Nkoyaphiri (65.9 percent 3), in CBD (65.5 percent 3), another one in Metsimotlhabe ( 65.1 percent). Two-star filling station were as follows: Gaborone Station (53.6 percent 1), Bonnington (53.4 percent 1), Mmopane (53.2 percent 1), Bontleng (50.9 percent 1), SSKB (49.3 percent 1), Sebele (47.8 percent 1), Mamashia (43.4 percent 1), Mogoditshane (42.2 percent 1) Kgale (39.3 percent 0), and Tlokweng (30.7 percent 0).
Bakumbi said only two sites (fuel service stations) are below 2-star. One of the petroleum service stations registered the most 3 star sites (7) and registered the lowest performing site in Tlokweng (30.7 percent). According to Bakumbi, the next step will be to publish the performance of fuel service stations by affixing their star rating on them in full public view. Similar inspections re-assessments will be conducted in Francistown and the rest of the country over time.
