FUEL GALORE

GOVERNMENT’S assurance that the current erratic supply of fuel in the country would end soon should end the panic buying that has been experienced in some parts of the country.

The assurance should also end the unease obtaining within industry and commerce, in particular the transport sector that their operations won’t be disrupted.

It is surprising why industry should panic when all along, Government has ensured that there was enough fuel in the country.

This is against a background of the Covid-19 pandemic that has disrupted the world’s economic order by disturbing supply lines as countries imposed movements of cargo across borders.

The problem was more acute for Zambia which had to negotiate her way through her many neighbours to ensure smooth flow of goods and services.

This adversely affected operations at the Ndola-based Indeni Oil Refinery.

The petroleum processing firm has had no crude oil for about five months now, partly triggered by the coronavirus pandemic which interrupted feedstock imports.

Moreover, last week’s disturbances by renegade tanker drivers to illegally enforce a nationwide strike contributed to a disruption in the supply of fuel.

This resulted in some parts of the country going without fuel.

But Permanently Secretary in the Ministry of Energy, Trevor Kaunda, says there will be sufficient fuel on the market when Indeni Petroleum Refinery resumes production with crude oil arriving this week.

Mr Kaunda said crude oil was expected to reach Ndola by the end of this week for Indeni to resume processing the crude oil into finished products.

As Mr Kaunda explained on Tuesday, even though Indeni has not been operating at full capacity, Government ensured that Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) had continued to bring in petrol and diesel by road.

In fact, Government must be commended that it nipped the tanker drivers’ protest in the bud before it could cause more damage on the fuel supply chain.

Zambia’s transport sector is one that Government would not wish to be disturbed because of the untold damage it could cause to the country’s economy.

In Parliament, Minister of Energy, Mathew Nkhuwa also assured that the fuel crisis which had hit the country would be addressed in the next one week,

Mr Nkhuwa said the government was putting up long time measures to address the fuel shortage in the country.

The minister said fuel tankers had started coming into the country, therefore the fuel crisis would be a thing of the past.

Mr Nkhuwa was responding to Mazabuka Central Member of Parliament Garry Nkombo who wanted to know what was the cause of the sudden erratic supply of fuel, which is affecting all economic sectors, country wide and what urgent measures the government is taking to normalise the situation.

There is no doubt that the country’s career doomsayers would want to twist the facts to fit into their evil plans and it is therefore good that government officials have been quick to explain the true position.

Zambia’s recovery from its economic ills – debt burden – calls for uninterrupted flow of fuel and Government is on the right track to ensure that there is enough fuel for sustained production.