Petrol stations throughout the country started distributing unleaded petrol only from January 1 as Sub-Saharan Africa tries to meet a United Nations deadline to have phased out all other kinds of petrol by the end of 2005.

The change stems from a pledge made at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, when almost all Africa was still using leaded fuel, according to a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report.

Lead is associated with a wide range of health problems, including damage to the brains of babies and young children.

Owners of late model vehicles unable to make the change over will have alternative lead replacement petrol (LRP), according to the Department of Energy’s Ms Babalwa July.

The Department said it believed that most Basotho would not suffer from the phasing out of leaded petrol as only about 20 percent of vehicles in the country used this kind of fuel because of its unavailability in most parts.

There won’t be any additional levies on lead replacement petrol, the Department said.

02 January 2006