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FUEL shortages have hit Victoria Falls with indications that filling stations are monitoring their supplies on concerns that the mandatory E-10 suppliers were reportedly delaying making deliveries. Long queues were observed at most filling stations in the resort town in the last few days with outlets such as Avis and Zuva Petroleum running out of unleaded petrol during Christmas and Boxing days.
Motorists said the shortage of fuel was dampening the festive mood.
“It is terrible for a resort town to run out of fuel. Suppliers and distributors should always plan ahead because Victoria Falls is always busy
during this period,” said one motorist, Wengai Nhau of Wenhau Safaris.
“We have tourists coming in for the holidays and it tarnishes the country’s image if they spend long hours queuing for fuel.”
Employees at service stations said they had made orders and even paid for fuel supplies well ahead of the festive season.
“We are just waiting for supplies because we paid for the commodity well in advance. We don’t know what is delaying them,” said a manager at one of the filling stations who preferred anonymity.
Meanwhile, hoteliers, tour and adventure operators, residents and motorists in Victoria Falls have cried foul over the mandatory availability of E-10 in the resort town’s filling stations, which they said was damaging their vehicles and uneconomic as it burns fast.
Motorists have urged government to review the mandatory regulations on having E-10 as the only fuel which should be sold in the country.
They said government should give people options to use other fuels other than the ethanol blended fuel.
Another tour operator, Christopher Ndiweni of Mayelane Tours said blended fuel was damaging their vehicles.
“That fuel is not good for our vehicles. If you put it into a Mercedes Benz the vehicle indicates that you have poured wrong fuel and it does not perform well,” said Ndiweni.
“People should be given options to buy the fuel they want than to make mandatory that everyone must use E-10. It is our right to have our preferred fuel. Blended fuel is light and burns fast. We no longer travel the same kilometres we used to travel with a full tank of unleaded fuel.”
Mathew Muleya from Zambezi Camp said the government should invest in equipment that is fitted on vehicles so that they use E-10 fuel without problems.
He also said the issue of having one player supplying fuel has also led into fuel shortages in the resort town.
It is argued that ethanol blending contributes towards energy security of the country, reduces the fuel import bill, creates employment and has potential for power generation blended with petrol.
The blending of fuel was first gazetted during the time of the inclusive government where Statutory Instrument 17 of 2013 made E5 to be produced by licensed ethanol blenders.
Online Reporter