Fuel crisis deepens

The persistent fuel crisis that is bedeviling the country has caused a lot of outrage. Motorists have expressed their frustration at having to wait in long winding queues to get the precious liquid. Speculation is also high that fuel prices are set to increase.

Transport operators are at pains as they have to spend the whole and at times sleep overnight at fuel queues. Most service stations are dry and those that have fuel are failing to meet demand. The situation has been worsened by illegal black market fuel dealers who siphon all the fuel from filling stations and resell it on the black market. A litre of petrol which costs around 21 rtgs at a filling station is fetching up to one US dollar on the black market which is around 50 rtgs. The difference is alarming.

Government seems to have failed to manage the issue of fuel shortages in Zimbabwe. This has caused transport shortages and an increase in corrupt activities as people try to gather funds to buy fuel on the black market.

So bad is the situation that even fuel attendants have joined the bandwagon of siphoning fuel and supplying it to the black market.

The ministry of transport is yet to release an official statement on the current fuel situation. In the meantime, motorists remain stranded and frustrated with the general public also feeling the heat of transport shortages. Like every other thing on Zimbabwe including sugar, cooking oil and mealie meal, fuel has become a scarce commodity.