ZERA, Fuel Dealers Standoff Worsens Fuel Shortages - Report

The acute fuel shortages experienced in the past few days have been attributed to a standoff between the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) and fuel dealers.

According to a prominent journalist, Hopewell Chin’ono, when ZERA announced the latest fuel price hike, it did not factor in the cost of delivery. He wrote:

There is a deadlock between ZERA and the fuel dealers because in the last fuel price increase, ZERA didn’t factor in the delivery cost.

Oil companies have decided not to move fuel until the issue is resolved. There hasn’t been deliveries since Friday apparently.

ZERA’s latest fuel price hike adjusted fuel prices by close to $2 per litre. Since January this year, the price of fuel has gone up by over 500 per cent in line with the fall in the value of the local currency.

The acute shortages have resulted in the emergence of humongous fuel queues.

Meanwhile, the government said that the fuel supply situation is expected to improve within the next few days.

Addressing journalists at a post-cabinet media briefing in Harare on Tuesday, Information Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa said:

Regarding fuel supply, Cabinet was informed that the situation had slightly improved during the week under review.

The Minister of Energy and Power Development also advised Cabinet that the fuel supply situation was expected to improve even further within the next few days, on the back of the funding arrangements currently under active consideration.