The Local Transporters for fule have agreed to reduce oil transportation rates after consultations with the Oil Marketing Companies(OMC) following reports that OMCs had opted to use foreign transporters because local companies charged exorbitant prices.
According to Energy Minister Mathew Nkhuwa, the Local Transporters’ rates have been reduced to match those of the foreign transporters from Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.
Mr. Nkhuwa said that this comes afters the presidential directive to actualize the 50 percent fuel supply for local transporters.
Mr. Nkhuwa said that the OMCs opted to work with foreign transporters as the Zambian transporters were more expensive by 10 dollars per tonne.
Mr. Nkhuwa said that now that the Local Transporters have reduced the rates, there was now no reason for the OMCs not to use Zambian transporters.
Mr. Nkhuwa further said that the situation has been normalized as Zambia has enough fuel as of today going forward and has notified the public that there is no shortage of fuel.
Mr. Nkhuwa said his ministry, as well as the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Transport and Communication, are engaging with Mozambique and Tanzania to handle the situation using diplomatic channels where Zambia drivers are being mistreated abroad.
Yesterday, President Edgar Lungu directed the Ministry of energy to immediately implement the 50 percent transportation of fuel allocated to Zambian drivers without delay and that the 50 percent allocation should be complied with without delay.
According to Transport Minister Mutotwe Kafwaya, President Lungu also directed that the delivery of fuel to various destinations should immediately start.
The directive follows a report submitted to President Lungu by Mr. Kafwaya who was tasked to get to the ground on what led to sit in Protest by Zambian fuel Tanker Drivers.
Mr. Kafwaya told journalists at a media briefing that President Lungu had also directed his ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Energy to inquire into the treatment of Zambian drivers both in Zambia and at various ports outside the country.
Mr. Kafwaya has assured the Tanker Drivers that the Presidential directive will be implemented without fail and has since urged the Tanker drivers to start offloading fuel now that their grievances have been resolved by President LUNGU.
Nkhuwa is panicking. What are these haphazard kneejerk directives and changes being implemented in suchn an uncoordinated manner?
Grade 12 is important.
I am not sure how this will work, really. If the pricing by local transporters was based on the depreciation of the kwacha, then most likely they will price themselves out of business with thus reduction. But if not, then they are a bunch of dishonest business men and women who were deliberately milking the OMCs
10 dollars per tonne x 30 tonne truck which comes to $300 dollars per truck x K22 = K6,600 per load. Than they want to complain that foreiners are taking our business. Come on, why cant we compete with the foreigners interms of pricing, work ethics, honesty, hardwork etc. Not only in transport but in every field? We need to change our mindset or stop complaining.
Amen. It’s a win win situation. Supply will soon be back to normal. We have had trucks coming in. I am sure some of you have seen the videos being shared around social media. Upnd thought they would campaign on the basis of fuel supply hahaha. F00ls
They were charging more by UD$10.00
YOU RIGHT AMEN FOR YOUR LOSE LOSE SITUATION
THE SHORTAGE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH TRANSPORTERS
BAD PLANING FULL STOP
THE NEXT PLAN IS FOR A FUELGATE ENQUIRY FOR THOSE STILL IN THE COUNTRY KIKI
COMPROMISING WITH EVERY STEP AND CORNER TAKEN IS A S1GN OF A FAlL1NG GOVERNMENT READY TO SELL ITS S0UL TO SURVlVE
When you have a Grade 9 school leaver as Mathew Nkhuwa this is what happens…we had Yaluma before an educated foooooool with MSc and BSc but with a pea sized brain …really laughable…I would say this cabinet but can not say that when the Appointing authority is equally an empty vessel.
No wonder that Boeing aircraft landed on an airport that isn’t complete thinking its Ndola Airport…this is a kakistocracy govt.
Fuel shortage should not even be there at all. We must plan to have storage for rain days not from tanker to tank of cars. This is a problem. We need strategic reserves to cover at least 6 months to cushion also any fluctuations in prices. This is good for the economy.
Why appoint this man Energy Minister if he can’t make such simple decisions?
the 50% presidential directive reserved to local transporters was uncalled for! They were overlooked because their charges were $10 more expensive when compared with other competitors! To call on the president to decree protection is unfair competition, so now that they have “seen sense” to reduce and match with foreign competitors what is the local transporters gain? Transportation volume?
So the local transporters were hoping to compete by charging more than the foreign ones? Ni kuti munaonapo so namwe ma fella? Why is doing business pa Zed so expensive ayi? See you priced yourselves out of business a mambala. Ni nchekelako kapena…
Let’s just compete with the foreigners thts wen will grow
All these foreign fuel transporters are just a way of losing money that’s supposed to be in Zambia if we produced our fuel from INDENI. We as a useless and visionless people like our so called leader Lungu are making a big mistake creating employment for oil refineries in other countries. There are other auxiliary jobs that come with refining oil on your own. The second part is we can eliminate foreign transporters if oil is from within Zambia. Please Zambians, when will you wake up. All our chemistry, chemical engineering graduates and other engineers that would work are not working because we have a very bad government. What do you expect from a government full of ba grade 12? We need to change this bad government. They are criminals killing the futures for your children and…
Ba Malawi is destroying the country and it will sink to the bottom of the Pit Latrine. Zambia is no longer the Sh1t Hole category. It is the Sh1t.