ABORT FUEL SCAM DEAL
…to stop irregular imports of fuel
TWO foreign petroleum transporting companies are pressurizing targeted Government officials to allow them import Government fuel irregularly to sabotage the system and externalize profits, the Petroleum Transporters Association of Zambia (PTAZ) has charged.
The association has now warned of dire consequences if Government officials capitulate because this will expose the market to fuel smuggling and illegal externalization of funds.
In an interview with the Daily Nation yesterday, PTAZ secretary-general Benson Tembo said the association was aware of a scheme by two foreign-owned companies to continue externalising profits by directly dealing with suppliers so that their dues are not transacted in Zambia.
The petroleum industry has been identified of major economic slippage including smuggling and importation of contaminated stock.
Mr. Tembo said the two companies were opposed to abide by Government’s decision not to extend the waiver on fuel importation.
“When we were fighting battles with Ministers Dora Siliya, Fackson Shamenda, and David Mabumba over the 20 percent fuel importation contracts from suppliers, these two were quiet because it served them well. It was the unity of purpose between PTAZ and Zambia Union of Tanker Drivers (ZUTD) and high-level engagements with Government that has seen the volumes of fuel that local transporters haul increase.
“When Government honoured its obligation, we pledged that we will never protest again and boycott the transportation of fuel because we believe the energy sector is a critical component in the economy. We agreed we will work together to build capacity among local transporters and we have managed to bring on board even people with only one truck but these two want to be dealing directly with suppliers so that they can be receiving their dues through banks in their countries of origin but they are in for a rude shock,” Mr Tembo warned.
He warned that whoever would entertain such retrogressive maneuvers would had themselves to blame when the association and other partners hit back.
“They are going to Government offices and are even talking to some politicians but they must know that we are ahead of them and we will crush them. They think we must worship them because they have 100 tankers but that amounts to nothing compared to building capacity among our fellow Zambians who have as few as five trucks.“We are not stopping any transporter from participating in the importation of government fuel. Those who want, let them come and be part of us, if they don’t want, then let them continue with local distribution because there are a lot of jobs we created after the removal of the waiver. However, if they want to be confrontational, they will surely sell their trucks because we will never allow that,” he warned.
He urged the Minister of Energy to follow what his predecessors believed in as it was the stance of government as evidenced by President Edgar Lungu’s personal involvement in ending the impasse with tanker drivers not long ago.