Fueling a Crisis
Zimbabwe motorists have had it

15^th December 2002

Zimbabwean motorists battled for scarce petrol supplies yesterday as a deepening fuel crisis brought the country to a near halt.

Witnesses and media reported that many petrol stations had run dry and the riot police had been called in to those that still had petrol, to stop motorists fighting.

Zimbabwe is grappling with its worst economic crisis since independence in 1980.

Fuel supplies have been erratic since 1999 due to a foreign currency squeeze, which also left the country short of other basic items such as bread, cooking oil, sugar and salt.

In Harare, witnesses said there were few cars and buses on the roads, with thousands of motorists jamming a dozen or so petrol stations in search of supplies.

''I have been here since last night, waiting for petrol and I have seen about a dozen fist fights and one guy threatening to shoot anyone who tries to jump the queue,'' one man said at a petrol station in central Harare.

The country's official Herald newspaper said riot police had been summoned to those stations with fuel to control rowdy motorists.

On Friday the Herald reported petrol stations were running dry because the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe (Noczim) was hoarding fuel, and pushing for cash oil import deals that could give company officials a chance to benefit from illegal foreign currency deals.

Quoting what it called ''impeccable'' government sources, the newspaper also said Noczim was moving to scrap a deal with Libya, endangering one of the last fuel lifelines Zimbabwe has left.

Government and Noczim officials have refused to comment on the report, but sources in Mugabe's government confirmed there was a probe into the shortage, which has left motorists queuing for kilometers to fill their tanks.

Critics say the fuel problem is likely to continue as long as Zimbabwe's economy - now in its fourth year of recession - continues to slide and while the foreign exchange policy remains unchanged.

Reuters