Energy Minister Denies That Puma/Sakunda Controls Fuel Industry

Minister of Energy and Power Development, Jorum Gumbo has denied allegations made by Acie Lumumba, real name William Mutumanje, that there is a cartel which controls the fuel industry. Gumbo denied allegations that Puma/Sakunda owned by businessman Kuda Tagwirei has a virtual monopoly on the fuel pipeline from Mocambique. In an interview with The Standard, Tagwirei said,

Unfortunately, those allegations are coming from people that are not privy to the background of the whole matter. The pipeline from Beira to Feruka is a pipeline that is owned by the Zimbabwe government and Mozambique through a company they have formed. It so happens that Sakunda and Puma have shares in that company, National Oil Infrastructure Company of Zimbabwe (Noic), and those allegations are not true because it is a business enterprise with Companhia Do Pipeline Mozambique-Zimbabwe (CMMZ), a Mozambican company. Sakunda and Puma — because of their joint operations — have shares and it is not that they have advantages when oil comes into the country.

Fuel comes into the country under Noic and it is never influenced by Sakunda or Puma. Noic is responsible for distribution of fuel. However, I can now say that the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) have now allowed Noic to pick fuel and transport it 24 hours up to January 2019.

More: The Standard