Minister of Energy Mathew Nkhuwa has said all the filling stations in the country will have enough fuel stocks before the end of this week to ensure stable supply and smooth running of the economy.
Mr. Nkhuwa has assured the nation that consumers and the general public should not panic since all filling stations will be serviced with enough fuel within the course of the week.
He emphasized that the government and oil marketing companies are in total control of the situation.
The Energy Minister made the remarks shortly after conducting a tour of Puma Zambia Limited, Total Zambia Limited and Tanzania Zambia Mafuta (TAZAMA) fuel depots in Lusaka yesterday.
“Government is in full control and there should be no panic buying as you have seen from all the three depots we have toured. Tankers are offloading fuel which is really impressive going forward as we know that the country’s economy will continue moving,” he assured.
Mr. Nkhuwa explained that the government is working closely with oil marketing companies to arrest the situation, an approach which he said is yielding positive results.
Meanwhile, Total Zambia Head of Retail and Digital Services Ernest Mfula and Puma Zambia Limited Terminal Manager Chinyemba Kalama both underscored that supply of fuel countrywide is stabilizing.
Mr. Mfula stated that 23 oil tankers offloaded fuel at the depot on SUnday and by 15 hours yesterday, 15 more tankers had offloaded the commodity.
He pointed out that to expedite the steady supply of the commodity to all its service stations in the country, Total-Zambia limited will activate the night and Sunday shifts.
“So far we have offloaded 15 oil tankers and yesterday Sunday we offloaded 23 as I speak 100 are on the way bringing fuel and we also hail the government for the collaboration,” Mr. Mfula stated.
And Mr. Kalama said in the last two days, Puma Zambia has offloaded 700,000 litres of fuel in the quest to have enough stocks.
Meanwhile Tanzania Zambia Mafuta (TAZAMA) Station Manager Moses Chipulukusu assured the Minister and his delegation that a number of oil tankers are offloading at the terminal.
Mr. Chipulukusu praised the government for removing VAT and other tax obligations on fuel importation saying this has improved the stocks.
Do The Right Thing To Shame The Devil,
With all due respect to the minister how can we not panic? Are you indeed in touch with reality?
PF rule means shortages …of fuels,foreign exchange, medicines ,foodstuff and even lack of peace of mind due to stressful downhill economy.
Signs of the end , ask KK!
Energy Minister George Mpombo was demoted to Copperbelt deputy minister by President Mwanawasa when they were such fuel lapses. Please pull up your socks
Lies, lies by dull dull, pathetic F000ls minister, you owe 500 million dollars
Minister is trying with what he has. The economy is not doing
Well.He has to keep on giving hope
To Zambians. All sectors of economy trying to get their share
From the little cake available. Corvid21 taking its share.
Every time this man speaks, I get a thought he doesn’t live in Zambia.
We need check!
For how long have we been told those lies? For once please have integrity. I have never seen leaders that unleash false information like one after the other like PF. Do you folks realise that it’s unacceptable to deceive the masses?
You cannot be ‘in total control’ when you are in a panic state. To be in total control is not to allow the shortage to take place at al. You failed to plan and so you planned to fail. This is not being in control when you have to react to a preventable crisis. Where does Lungu get these incompetent people from?
What is the cause of the country wide Fuel Shortages? Is it Foreign Exchange shortages,Distribution bottlenecks, Covid 19 disruptions etc? Why doesn’t the Minister explain and propose a Solution to the problem?
Really laughable….in other countries now they have a big problem which is too much cheap fuel in stock but in Zamuda its the same story of incompetence under Lazy Lungu and his clowns!!
We will know where to put a ‘X’ on 12th August. Load shedding was reinstated in some towns like mufulira for no reason at all. People are suffering and complaining everyday. As if this is not enough, cement prices go up!
Ask KK of what happened in 1991 when we voted. It’s not a threat but reality
With God on our side, fikapwa. We will make it through. Those evil upnd worshippers need salvation. I will pray for these pagans
PF are dead men walking.
It is over for them.
Running an economy is not for everyone.
You can not just wake up one day in a Shebeen and say you are fit to run an economy.
Vote wisely.
Ba Honourable said the ‘the government is in full control’. So everyday there is no fuel, the government is not in control otherwise there would ha e been no shortage. U are lucky u were a baby during the Kaunda era. KK would have fired u by now. How old were u during KK rule? Toddler in diapers? I am just asking.
Sorry but we now have as much confidence in your promises as we do in the infamous honeybee products. Zesco has just announced increased loadshedding will persist throughout qtr-1 despite your “passionate promises”. Maybe it’s time for a change at this ministry. Too much fire fighting.
This issue should have been sorted 10 years ago when Old man Sata created a commission of inquiry to investigate the high price of fuel only for the commission chairman Walter Kambimba to get greedy and go into oil marketing himself.
Our policy drivers are just something else. Look, you cannot have yourself voted into strategic positions. I propose that our Ministers should undergo intensive strategic management training and failures must not be confirmed in their positions.
If you are so sure why didn’t you say that you will walk naked on the streets of lusaka if there is still a shortage by next week like the way you talked about walking naked if there will be loadshedding after april. It’s like you have you have lost faith in yourself.