Paul Kingstone Mphepo, AfricaNews reporter in Blantyre, Malawi
Imagine a situation where your vehicle has no fuel and there is no minibus to board to work. Simply, you have to walk five to 10 kilometres to and from work. This is what is becoming of Malawi as the fuel scarcity which has been haunting the country for the past two years have worsened with pumps running dry in the country’s cities and most districts.
To the surprise of many, minister of Natural Resources and Energy, Grain Malunga, told local press that Malawians should get used to persistent fuel shortages.
The fuel scarcity has forced motorists to scramble for the commodity in long queues day and night in some few filling stations that are receiving limited supplies.
The fuel shortage which entered second week on Monday 13 June, 2011 has forced some motorists to ground their vehicles with empty tanks.
People with personal vehicles may have thought of travelling by minibus when going to work as it has been in previous scenarios but this time even minibus operators have grounded their vehicles. There are few operating who mostly buy their fuel from unscrupulous traders.
In Blantyre, last Friday, long queues of more than 100 vehicles had to be serviced at one BP filling station at the commercial city. According to some security guards who refused to be named, such queues were serviced until early morning hours of Saturday.
Increasing fares
Meanwhile, minibus fares have been raised by 40 to 50 percent especially during rush hours.
“We no longer have an option but to walk to work as the minibus prices have been doubled. Some times there is even no minibus on some roads or they are always full” said one commuter Olton Mnenura.
He alluded that most junior workers can not afford such fares as they may end up spending half of their salary on transport.
Emily Chimwala said now it is no longer questionable when you arrive late at work as the answer is ‘no fuel, no minibuses’. She noted with concern that this has reduced working hours arguing that workers with personal vehicles have to leave their offices to cue at filling stations hence deducting some working hours.
For minibus drivers, fuel shortage means no food for them as they are paid basing on how much they collect on daily basis.
“Some of us work on daily or monthly contract so if we are not on the road then our families will starve that day” said Alfred Mbewe a minibus driver.
Mbewe however barked their decision to hike fares saying the increase is in line with the fuel prices they get on black market. On another note, he described as unfortunate remarks by minister of natural resources and energy that people should get used to the fuel shortages as there is no immediate solution.
“To us this means a collapse in our business from where we earn our daily living,” he said calling on for an absolute solution saying are spending much of their business time at filling stations with empty gallons waiting for fuel.
The fuel shortage has affected daily livelihood of Malawians at all circles from business to social service delivery.
Hospital suspend operations
Recently, there have been reports of hospitals suspending some health services like field works and outreach clinics as they have insufficient fuel. This has created pressure in the health sector as district hospitals are failing to refer patients to central hospitals in the country’s four cities.
Transportation of valuable goods like food products and construction materials has also been greatly affected. Business has come to a stand still and major constructions like roads have slowed in progress.
The resurfacing of the fuel scarcity has been attributed to foreign currency shortages Malawi is experiencing. The forex shortage follows this year’s low sales from tobacco, Malawi’s main foreign currency earning product. Buyers are offering low prices with farmers abandoning the marketing and some selling their tobacco in neighbouring Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania.
Unrest in Middle East
On another reason, Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) told the local media that the scarcity is due to low fuel at ports due to the unrest in the Middle East.
During his 2011/2012 budget presentation in parliament, Minister of Finance Ken Kandodo acknowledged the continued interruptions in fuel supplies because of the increase in demand for fuel. Kandodo said the country is having 3 000 new imported cars every month and that daily demand of fuel has gone up to 1.1 million litres.
The fuel scarcity which is turning into a crisis comes amid government move to have a zero deficit budget which means financing the budget locally without donor support following Malawi’s shaky relations with its development partners. This has been greatly criticised by opposition members in parliament, economists and social commentators.
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