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Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter
The Government will increase service stations selling fuel in local currency as part of deliberate measures to make it affordable to many people, Senate heard yesterday.
Energy and Power Development Deputy Minister Magna Mudyiwa said while 57 service stations were identified to sell fuel in local currency, there was need to unveil more to ensure convenience to the motoring public.
Deputy Minister Mudyiwa was responding to questions from the floor.
Midlands Senator Morgan Komichi (MDC-T) had asked why there were no service stations selling in Zimbabwean dollars.
He said Government had consistently assured motorists of availability of fuel in local currency for a long time but nothing has happened on the ground.
Senator Komichi said people were now losing confidence on Government commitment to provide fuel in local currency.
But Deputy Minister Mudyiwa said Government through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority and National Oil Company of Zimbawe were seized with the issue.
“We came up with an arrangement with the RBZ, ZERA and NOIC where we selected 57 service stations to sell fuel in RTGS. We are working on improving the number of service stations selling fuel in Zimbabwean dollars,” she said.
Deputy Minister Mudyiwa said one challenge they were encountering was provision of foreign currency to those selected service stations resulting in the prevalence of service stations selling in hard currency.
“Our RTGs fuel is far lower than DFI fuel so the market is flooded with DFI fuel.
“We are working tirelessly to improve that,” said Deputy Minister Mudyiwa.
Turning to electricity supply, Deputy Minister Mudyiwa said only three units were working in Hwange Power Station resulting in subdued power generation.
She said this has resulted in increased load-shedding.
Power utility Zesa Holdings, she said, was working round the clock to restore normal service.
Deputy Minister Mudyiwa said there were several intervention measures that the Government and Zesa Holdings was doing to improve power supply.
One of measures include the use of solar power system and engaging Independent Power Producers to have more energy going onto the national electricity grid.
Online Reporter