Diesel shortage hits Harare
22/01/2011 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
LONG queues have resurfaced in Harare as a shortage of diesel threatens to
cripple business operations in the country.
Motorists waited patiently in meandering queues stretching two kilometres in
places for a chance to be served at the few filling stations that still had
diesel in Harare on Saturday.
Filling station owners blamed the shortages on financial problems at the
state procurement agency, the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe (NOCZIM).
Fuel shortages have also been reported in Bulawayo, Gwanda, Masvingo,
Plumtree and Victoria Falls, which are geographically dependent on South
African exports.
The shortage of diesel is expected to trigger an increase in prices as most
manufacturers depend on the commodity to move products to markets.
Energy Minister Elton Mangoma appeared to blame the crisis on his colleague
at Finance, Tendai Biti.
“For the good part of December we didn’t have any supplies coming from Beira
and the only fuel that was coming into the country was from South Africa.
But South Africa did not have adequate supplies hence they also stopped
supplying us,” Mangoma said recently.
“In the middle of all this, we had our own domestic affairs with $35 million
disappearing from NOCZIM which was due to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.”
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party on Saturday urged the
coalition government to resolve the fuel supply problems.
“The (MDC-T) national executive noted that three decades of Zanu PF
corruption and mismanagement of the economy was at the centre of the current
challenges of fuel and power,” it said in a statement.
“The executive called on the inclusive government to immediately find
permanent and sustainable solutions to the aforesaid challenges to mitigate
the plight of Zimbabweans.”