By Daily Revelation Editor
Chipata mayor George Mwanza says citizens in the city have been flocking to Malawi to access cheaper fuel which is fetching between K16 and K17 for their daily use and others for re-selling on the black market.
The mayor said he finds the situation ironic, especially that the citizens of Malawi accessed their daily groceries, banking services and other consumables from Zambia, Chipata, chiefly.
Speaking on the same matter, Oil Marketing Companies Association of Zambia (OMCAZ) president Dr. Kafula Mubanga said Zambia’s expensive oil prices compared to Malawi was unacceptable, citing a significant disparity with Malawi’s K17 fuel price, while Zambia’s is double or more.
There are various factors that could be attributed to the low prices of fuel prices in Malawi, especially that they were facing some scarcity issues of the commodity, which was being widely reported about not too long ago. It is also known that citizens in that country, who also seem to enjoy more freedoms in terms of freely airing their grievances through protests, have for some time been protesting against the escalating cost of living in that country. Therefore, the lowered fuel prices, could it be that the government there has finally heeded people’s calls, and have therefore responded by reducing prices in a key commodity that could have further ripple benefits in their economy? Or is the government playing the usual campaign gimmicks of lowering prices, with elections fast approaching in the next five months?
If the reason is on account of the approaching elections, then it begs the question why governments always seem to find means to appease the public during election periods, something they do not live up to in periods prior. Because if someone can suddenly find solutions to most pressing issues during elections, it means they can find solutions all the time, only that they probably do not care much to act as during election times when their hold on power is at stake.
Regardless of the motivations behind the lower petrol prices in Malawi, it is unacceptable that we here in Zambia should be buying the commodity at more than half the price it is being sold in our comparably modest neighbor. How can it surely be possible for Malawi to have their petrol price at Zambian Kwacha equivalent of K17 when ours is going at almost K35? Are their sources of supply cheaper than ours? If so, aren’t our leaders supposed to be taking giant steps towards that country to learn best practices on how they have ‘miraculously’ found themselves with the oil that is half-cheaper than our own, so that those same practices could be implemented here? Ndaba tavutika (We have suffered) from high petrol prices here, and are in urgent need of respite.
OMCAZ president Dr. Mubanga is suggesting that the government should consider revising its fuel pricing mechanisms. If that is what is needed to provide relief to Zambians, please let it be done quickly. If the solutions can be found in removing middlemen from the whole supply chain in order to reduce the price, tapapata let them be removed quickly. Probably we can find ourselves miraculously buying the commodity at less than K13 per liter as once dreamt by Hakainde Hichilema.
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By Daily Revelation Editor
Chipata mayor George Mwanza says citizens in the city have been flocking to Malawi to access cheaper fuel which is fetching between K16 and K17 for their daily use and others for re-selling on the black market.
The mayor said he finds the situation ironic, especially that the citizens of Malawi accessed their daily groceries, banking services and other consumables from Zambia, Chipata, chiefly.
Speaking on the same matter, Oil Marketing Companies Association of Zambia (OMCAZ) president Dr. Kafula Mubanga said Zambia’s expensive oil prices compared to Malawi was unacceptable, citing a significant disparity with Malawi’s K17 fuel price, while Zambia’s is double or more.
There are various factors that could be attributed to the low prices of fuel prices in Malawi, especially that they were facing some scarcity issues of the commodity, which was being widely reported about not too long ago. It is also known that citizens in that country, who also seem to enjoy more freedoms in terms of freely airing their grievances through protests, have for some time been protesting against the escalating cost of living in that country. Therefore, the lowered fuel prices, could it be that the government there has finally heeded people’s calls, and have therefore responded by reducing prices in a key commodity that could have further ripple benefits in their economy? Or is the government playing the usual campaign gimmicks of lowering prices, with elections fast approaching in the next five months?
If the reason is on account of the approaching elections, then it begs the question why governments always seem to find means to appease the public during election periods, something they do not live up to in periods prior. Because if someone can suddenly find solutions to most pressing issues during elections, it means they can find solutions all the time, only that they probably do not care much to act as during election times when their hold on power is at stake.
Regardless of the motivations behind the lower petrol prices in Malawi, it is unacceptable that we here in Zambia should be buying the commodity at more than half the price it is being sold in our comparably modest neighbor. How can it surely be possible for Malawi to have their petrol price at Zambian Kwacha equivalent of K17 when ours is going at almost K35? Are their sources of supply cheaper than ours? If so, aren’t our leaders supposed to be taking giant steps towards that country to learn best practices on how they have ‘miraculously’ found themselves with the oil that is half-cheaper than our own, so that those same practices could be implemented here? Ndaba tavutika (We have suffered) from high petrol prices here, and are in urgent need of respite.
OMCAZ president Dr. Mubanga is suggesting that the government should consider revising its fuel pricing mechanisms. If that is what is needed to provide relief to Zambians, please let it be done quickly. If the solutions can be found in removing middlemen from the whole supply chain in order to reduce the price, tapapata let them be removed quickly. Probably we can find ourselves miraculously buying the commodity at less than K13 per liter as once dreamt by Hakainde Hichilema.
You can subscribe to read all our past and latest ePapers, plus all premium content at only K22 weekly and K65 monthly on this link
https://dailyrevelationzambia.com/membership-account/membership-levels/
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