The Zambia Union of Financial Institutions and Allied Workers (ZUFIAW) has said that the Patriotic Front government has done nothing to improve the energy sector since assuming office last year.
In an interview with Qfm news in Lusaka, ZUFIAW president Cephus Mukuka has expressed disappointment at the shortages of fuel currently being experienced in the country. Mr. Mukuka observed that production will be affected negatively if the fuel shortages are not addressed quickly.
He explained that that Zambians expected sanity in the energy when the PF came into power further urging the ruling party to implement its campaign promises. Mr. Mukuka stated that prior to last year’s tripartite elections, the PF pledged to contain various problems including fuel shortages but that seems untenable.
He said that the ongoing fuel shortage has had a negative impact on production and that it is important for government to put in place modalities that will ensure the current situation is addressed.
And Zambians for Empowerment and Development (ZED) president Fred Mutesa has called for a clear explanation from government over the current fuel crisis in the country. Dr. Mutesa noted that the fuel crisis that has hit most parts of the country is worrying as the problem if not well rectified would have negative implications on the economy.
The opposition leader said that what is surprising is that the fuel shortage has come a few weeks after the country donated 5 million litres of oil to Malawi for that country’s state funeral. Dr. Mutesa said that areas such as Katete, petauke, Lundazi and Nyimba had run dry by yesterday afternoon.
And check by QFM news found that some motorists where queuing up for fuel at selected filling stations. However the situation is expected to normalize following assurances from the government that the problem at TAZAMA is being rectified.
Meanwhile, all the four filling stations in Solwezi district have run out of petrol, leaving motorists stranded. And petrol-propelled vehicles have been abandoned on long queues at the filling stations awaiting the anticipated arrival of the commodity.
A check at Total and SGC Filling stations by ZANIS revealed that petrol ran out on Saturday while the stock of diesel left is less than 4, 000 litres which is expected to run out today if the new stock is not received.
The situation was the same at Mount Meru and Puma Filling stations where the commodity ran out on Friday. Mount Meru Filling station manager, Meghani Liyakat, said the filling station was left with only about 5,000 litres of diesel which will run out today.
Mr Liyakat said the situation of fuel in the district is expected to normalise once Indeni in Ndola starts operating. Most filling stations across the country are experiencing a shortage of fuel due to a temporary closure of Indeni Oil Refinery pickup pump following a leakage on the pipeline in Tanzania.
QFM
What do you expect from a boat of dry bones?
Fuel shortage and endless load-shedding, they have not addressed any of these yet come up with excuses (lies) explaining the Fuel shortage and endless load-shedding. i wounder if lies are now part of the government policy
Common responses from government
Fuel shortage :- Firstly tanker delayed in docking, now they are saying pipe burst
Endless load-shedding :- Maintenance works (maintenance every day please)
Iwe chi mukuka u are just an idioot representing yourself. am in zufiaw but i have stopped attending your vima union meetings because you are all compromised. just because PF does not condon patronage thats why now you are talking like that. Man its time u left the union. we the youths have to take charge. Ati president mukuka malabishi nabandani. MWADYAMWEKA DADY. SATA has nothing to do with this. and besides its not the first time we are having a fuel crises. just ride your Bicycle.
This is a regime clueless legions that can only give a circus after another to a nation. The country is under siege while Zambians have been mistakenly taken for f-o-o–l–s. But please wait a minute because a Zambian who knows what he wants is hard to coerce if all you can give are vacuous pronouncements. A Zambian is a citizen you trap in subservience for vanity.
Keep him in fuel shortages,
High food prices
Unemployment
Keep in a brutal police state of abuses
Choke his media and freedom
You are inviting trouble.
Sad turn of events. Not so easy to run a country is it?
I would draw on the experience of the past. Not everything that KK, Chiluba, Mwanawasa, Banda did is bad. Most of it was great.
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Let he who has an ear, listen.
This regime has no capacity to manage this country, everything is try and error. How many times are we going to be told about a ship docking at Dar. There is simply no understanding of how the energy sector operates.
A Zambian is not a citizen you trap in subservience for vanity unless you want a life time lesson.
#3 cheelo talk about fuel crisis not ifyabupuba ifyo. i supported pf 100% but i am not a dimwit i have since seen the failures of the pf. what has fuel crisis and load shading to do with patronage or worse still with mukuka?.
Ukwanites are just loud empty circus clowns. And where is the chief clown? Still in Switzerland? Hope the Swiss will not euthanize him for poor Zambia. He is our chief tourism attraction.
One good thing about political office is that there is nowhere to hide when things start going wrong. Opposition is easy because you have no responsibilities. All you do is dish out a litany of complaints. In govt you need brains. More popcorn please!
Cheelo you are a fool, so you can not see this problem and you think its normal simply becouse you have no Vehicle.
zambians u dont know what you want ok now tell me which government has ever ruled and months letter u start experiencing sach situations this is the donchi kubauza u are seeing now
Ukwa to appear soon at a filling station near you!
To every problem there is a solution. blr blur blur just shut up. are you the only ones afffected. where u born with cars or electricity? just ride your bicycles and buy charcoal. shut up.
Ukwa where art thou? Your people are suffering. And where is Winter the pafwaka energy expert? Muppets you thought you would forever blame the previous government. This is your baby now my dear super clowns.
While fuel shortages, load shading hurts every one irrespective of their political shades govt is doing something to plug and repair the haemorrhage.
It took 20yrs of thoughtless and reckless management of the energy sector by MMD and surely this take a while to resolve but it will certainly be improved upon.
PF has no excuse not to do a better job here under its current mandate.
The fuel was sold to Malawi to profit Ukwa and his relatives.
Government has always known about Tanzania law breaking citizens stealing our oil and yet nothing has been done to put a stop. George, please don’t put “don’t kubeba”! This time kubeba abena Zambia! That silly tribunal on energy, did not come out with strategic options which are: (a) remove our pipes from Tazama and re-connect them to Harare/Maputo corrido 600 km (b) remove our pipes from TAZAMA to the Angola option 1000 plus km (c) a pigmentation report in 1998 showed that most parts of Tazama pipes was rusted and needed complete replacement 2000 km (d) bring back Njeleka (now advisor to Zimbabwe Government) to help you plan the petroleum sub-sector.
Reply
To the contrary, I know PF has done something by reducing the pump price once which is still the current price. The shortages will soon be a thing of the past once the supplier is selected
CNP
@16. Where and who was Sata between 1991 and 2001? Chikwanda, Scott, sakeni, Luo etc where were they during the same period? They were calling the shots in the same mmd. Sata campaigned heavily for corrupt chilubas third term attempt! Is this the trash you want to present as new? No my dear this is the corrupt trash that was cast aside in the post 2001 period!
We have been vindicated.No money in 90days,NO jobs in 90days,NO constitution in 90days,NO Barotse restoration in 90days,NO Blahblahblah in 90days.Ukwa is surely chimbwi NO plan.Busy courting dictators like Bob and dos santos next door.
I am glad this has not been said by HH otherwise there could have been a haemorrhage of insults and stupid tribal comments. Sort out the fuel shortage damn you!!
Cry the beloved country.
And when i said this Ukwa was a baboon i was insulted….
But why insult baboons like that? What have they ever done to you to compare them to Ukwa?
u r the man
cHEELO hOW mANY bICYCLES DO YOU HAVE….U SEEM NOT TO BE AFFECTED BY THIS SHORTAGE…
Cheelo is a Pathetic Fool (PF) cadre am sure he is at the embassy in the USA complements of Ukwa
Respect is important.. Mr Sata please help run this country we the pipo have given you the mandate, and come 2016, we will decide again as per our constitution. Big up big man you should us that if you want something you should never give up. As Zambians we shall never give up…
FUEL SHORTAGE. Bad planning Zambian why of Governance is really disgusting. So we are going the ZIM and Malawi route? Get serious
I wonder if that foreign permanent UNESCO rep quit his job to sue Zed…Can anyone apply? I have energetic ideas full of steam…cough cough…hot air. What harm could I do if I make full use of my non scientific brain. I’ll talk the talk in high places saying stuff about the frequency in which the interdominant contradicting convulated tubules pass sulphuric acid into venulated endodermis of the hydra expandatala bla bla bla…eyes roll back and stifled yawn. I have zero skills. Pick me! Pick me! Um…actually perhaps not. Long term solutions required. Each govt has fluffed this so far. Let’s see what this one does :)
Chuckle. I just bothered reading the comments. Wow. Sounds like this is Zambia’s first ever fuel crisis! Why didn’t you guys tell me the amnesia pill is doing the rounds? I demand one too…then again I could selectively choose to forget inconvenient truths for a laugh :)
cheelo uli irrele..
I am usually after comments from readers. I pick up the true picture from comments compared to the content of the story.
absurd………!!!!!! It is the same old politicians. they say this and that when in opposition and they do the opposite of what they were opposing or proposing. Loook at the MAIZE MARKETING. WHAT IS DIFFERENT FROM mmd? over 3trillion tied and wasted in one crop. where is diversification? where is the private sector? PF HAS 5 YEARS TO DEMONSTRATE THE BEST PRACTICES IN MARKETING. 5 YEARS TO COLLECT THE SO CALLLED THE WRONG. DO THE RIGHT THING NOW, EXPERIMENT NOW AND IF IT DOES NOT WORK, CORRECT IT IN THE 3 YEAR. YOU STILL HAVE TIME . WHAT A MESS? GOOD PRONOUNCEMENTS BUT POOR IMPLEMENTATION