ZURA warns fuel hoarders
ZANZIBAR : THE Zanzibar Water and Energy Services Regulatory Authority (ZURA) on Tuesday warned unscrupulous traders involved in hoarding fuel, thus creating unnecessary shortage and price hike of the key commodity in the Islands.
The warning came after reports of fuel shortage and price hike in some areas of Zanzibar.
According to ZURA, the traders are hoarding the fuel stock with the intent of causing price increase.
On Sunday and Monday, some petrol stations stopped selling the commodity to customers, attributing it to lack of fuel, but later ZURA Public Relations Officer Mr Mbaraka Hassan Haji convened a press conference warning that the authority will not hesitate to take legal and regulatory measures against the owners of petrol stations who hoard fuel.
“According to the regulator, it is a legal offence for a petrol station to stop selling fuel while it is available…if found guilty, the business license will be revoked, or fined. We are investigating the people behind this unacceptable fuel shortage,” Mr Haji warned.
He assured people in Zanzibar that there is enough fuel stock in the islands, including five million litres of petroleum and two million litres of diesel in stock.
“We have enough fuel, so there is no reason for the people to panic, even if it happens that you visit a petrol station and find no fuel, it is possible that it’s on the way to the fuel station or there might be other reasons, but there is no shortage of the commodity in Zanzibar,” he said.
Commenting on new fuel prices, he said that the price increased this month (August) compared to last month (July) when petrol was sold at 2,700/- while in August it will be sold at 2,970/-, which is an increase of 270/-, equivalent to 10 per cent.
He said “the price of diesel for the month of July was 2,746/- while for August is is 2,843/-, which has increased by 97/-, equal to 4 per cent and jet fuel was sold at 2,190/- in July, but today it is 2,365/- per litre.
The ZURA officer said kerosene price has not changed, remaining at 2,921/- per litre.
He noted that the price increase of petroleum products this month is due to global market and rise in the US dollars’ exchange rate against the local currency.
Mr Haji pointed out that ZURA sets prices based on various factors, including prices in the global market and other factors, such as the value of the Tanzanian shilling against the US dollar, the cost of transport, insurance and premium to Zanzibar, government taxes and the profit rate for wholesalers and retailers.
He emphasised to the people to demand electronic receipts every time they pay for the services.
