Harare: Zimbabweans have been hit by another round of fuel shortages amid foreign currency shortages to import the commodity.
Over a hundred vehicles could be seen in fuel queues – some as long as two kilometres.
Motorists are sometimes forced to sleep in queues to buy the commodity.
Some fuel stations are now demanding United States dollars only, arguing the surrogate bond notes and electronic payments are prejudicing them of value due to exchange rate disparities.
Energy and Power Development minister Joram Gumbo blames panic buying by motorists for the acute fuel shortages but admits government battles forex challenges to import the commodity.
“We require 4,1 million litres of diesel per day and 3,8 million litres of petrol a day and that is what the fuel companies are getting,” Gumbo said.
“We had asked the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to raise foreign currency allocation to $32 million per week to meet the rising demand up from the $20 million it was previously allocating, but access to forex has been a challenge.”
Government on Friday said it released an emergency $60 million for the procurement of fuel.
