In an interview with The Herald, Minister of Energy and Power Development, Joram Gumbo, said the country’s fuel consumption has increased.
He said Zimbabweans are importing thousands of vehicles leading to a sharp demand for petrol and diesel. Gumbo also added that some people are hoarding fuel for speculative reasons. Said Gumbo:
The country has in the past months witnessed a surge in fuel usage. The country is at the moment consuming 4 million litres of diesel up from 2,5 million litres a week while 3 million litres of petrol is being pumped, up from 1,5 million litres per week. This high demand we believe is due to the increase in people doing business in the country due to the Zimbabwe is open for business mantra set by the new dispensation. At the same time the volume of vehicles in the country has increased to unprecedented levels. Everyday several vehicles are cleared to enter the country at our borders and they also add to the rise in demand for fuel. We can’t also rule out a few unscrupulous people hoarding fuel for speculative purposes.
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