By Mpheni Tshivhase
- Nhlanhla Nkosi runs a tuck shop in Protea Glen and refills her 9kg cylinder two to three times a month.
- Gas Mart’s George Haskins says a 9kg refill now costs R330.30, after LPG rose 16 cents a kilogram in July.
Nhlanhla Nkosi has run her tuck shop in Protea Glen Extension 7 for nine years, selling snacks, cold drinks and the township favourite, kotas, cooked in a deep fryer connected to a 9kg gas cylinder.
This July, petrol fell R2 a litre, diesel more than R3, and paraffin nearly R7. Gas is the one fuel that became more expensive instead, rising 16 cents a kilogram, and Nkosi is feeling it directly.
“I decided to create employment for myself, and that was the best decision I have ever made,” she said.
She opens at 6am and trades until 6pm, serving commuters, schoolchildren and residents. She refills her cylinder two to three times a month, at about R230, though the price moves around.
“Business is good now because schools are closed. The children are at home, so they come here more often and we get very busy,” she said.
George Haskins, marketing director at Gas Mart Southgate, said LPG prices are regulated by government, with wholesalers setting the gate price and distributors setting their retail prices.
“The fuel price also has an impact on LPG prices,” he said.
A 9kg cylinder now costs R330.30 to refill at Gas Mart, and a 19kg cylinder costs R697.30. Haskins said the business has kept its prices unchanged despite July’s increase, to ease the strain on customers.
The steepest hike came in May, when LPG rose by about R5 a kilogram, the largest increase Haskins has seen in the business. Prices dropped 15 cents in early June before rising 16 cents in July.
Even so, demand keeps growing.
“People are choosing gas over electricity because it gives them peace of mind. If you have a gas stove or heater, you can still cook and keep warm even when there’s no electricity,” Haskins said.
Pictured above: Nhlanhla Nkosi at her tuck shop in Protea Glen Extension 7, where she cooks kotas using a 9kg gas cylinder.
Image source: Mpheni Tshivhase
