Vehicle owners in Malawi are experiencing acute petrol and diesel shortages in some parts of the country, leading to long queues at filling stations, especially in Blantyre and some southern districts.
A spokesperson for the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) said a current shortage of forex in the country had affected the flow of fuel supplies.
Some motorists have resorted to enquiring on social media platforms to establish where fuel is to be found. The situation is also forcing desperate vehicle owners to resort to the black market for purchases at vastly inflated prices.
The chairperson of the Minibus Owners Association of Malawi, Peter Mvalo, said the situation was significantly disrupting their business activities and called on MERA to take action against individuals who were illicitly selling fuel at exorbitant prices, as high as five times the market rate.
Mvalo said the situation was forcing minibus operators to purchase petrol from unscrupulous sources and raise their fares.
Some fuel stations have run dry, especially of petrol, in the past couple of days. In Blantyre most filling stations have run out of petrol.
In mid-September, the country last received 446,000 litres of fuel, and there is some relief in sight as Petroleum Importers Limited confirmed that about 800,000 litres of petrol and 700,000 litres of diesel were being brought by rail from Nacala in Mozambique. It will then have to be distributed to filling stations.
