Zimbabwe gives Malawi 2 Million litres of fuel

Although Harare is servicing a loan but the release of two million litres is timely to the fuel starved southern African country.

The problem has resurfaced in Malawi despite the new government assuring Malawians that the shortage was over and had died along with late President Mutharika, a professorial but temperamental economist who had fallen out with major donors.

Director of Debt and Aid at the Ministry of Finance Mr Peter Simbani and National Oil Company of Malawi-NOCMA- Chief Executive Officer Mr Robert Mdeza confirmed in separate interviews that about 17 trucks of Diesel had arrived in Malawi from Zimbabwe.

The two countries agreed last month that Zimbabwe would still pay Malawi the maize loan through fuel but worth US$24.1 million and not US$20 million as Harare had earlier thought.

According to Mr Mdeza the next trench of fuel is expected to arrive into the country mid next week.

However the two million litres would be consumed within three days based on the current demand.

“The rough estimate for now is that we are consuming around 700 to 750 litres of diesel a day. The 2 million can therefore be consumed within 3 days,” said Mr Robert Mdeza in an interview with Zodiak Online.

He said another 4.2 million litres of petro is expected to arrive into the country in the course of the next week.

“We are going to receive another 4.2 million litters of Petrol that would be carried from Zimbabwe during this month and another trench in the subsequent month,” he said.

Fuel scarcity seems to have resurfaced in the country with government official placing the blame on the technical aspect of it.

Reserve bank Governor Mr Charles Chuka recently said Malawians should not panic, saying the resurfacing of the problem is not a result of forex shortage.

For the past two years, Malawi has encountered an acute shortage of the commodity owing to shortage in foreign currency, a development that crippled most sectors of the economy.