adminLeonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
THE Sadc Summit Local Organising Committee (Loc)has recommended the increase of fuel suppliers in Victoria Falls to enhance an efficient transport system during the 34th Heads of State summit next week.
Zimbabwe hosts the 15-member regional conference where President Mugabe will take over as Sadc chair.
High profile meetings begin in the resort town today ahead of the arrival of Heads of State on August 17.
Reporting back during a Loc meeting chaired by Victoria Falls mayor Councillor Sifiso Mpofu on Wednesday, the transport and logistics sub-committee expressed concern at the erratic fuel supplies in the resort town.
The sub-committee said engagements with suppliers showed that the three service stations in Victoria Falls had a combined capacity of supplying 279,000 cubic litres of diesel and close to a million litres of petrol amid fears that this might not be enough for the summit where an increased volume of vehicles is expected.
“We have checked with local dealers to see if they can provide enough fuel for the period and there is a need for more supplies considering the volume of traffic that will be here,” said a committee member.
The committee agreed to engage more suppliers.
“We have been to the dealers like Marange and Zuva and we are considering engaging Shearwater and CMED for additional tanks to increase our supplies,” said Loc member Jonathan Hudson representing the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe.
The committee said it would also be engaging other dealers that are not operational for reserve supplies.
The finance sub-committee was set to arrive yesterday ahead of its meeting today and tomorrow when other senior officials would also start arriving.
The standing committee of senior ministers will meet between Sunday and Tuesday while Sadc ministers will arrive on August 13.
The Council of Ministers will meet on August 14 and 15 while Heads of State are expected to arrive on August 16, a day before the actual summit.
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derick.khumalo