Kitwe grinds to a halt as petrol shortage worsens

A petrol shortage has hit Kitwe, leaving motorists searching for fuel across the mining town without success.

By 16:00 hours on Tuesday, long queues of vehicles formed at Town Centre’s Total Energy station, but no petrol was available.

The situation was the same at Puma Energy in the Central Business District, where motorists continued their search in vain.

At Eco Service Station in the industrial area, drivers were left stranded, unable to find fuel.

“The situation is killing our business. It seems oil marketing companies are hoarding petrol. Diesel is available, but there’s no petrol. What kind of life is this?” lamented Charles Phiri, a mini-bus driver, in a brief interview with Zambia Monitor.

At Rubis Service Station, motorists parked their vehicles and waited in uncertainty as panic began to spread.

Many residents expressed concern about their ability to get to work if the shortage continues.

“This is a crisis. I hope the situation improves soon, or we might not be able to get to work if the shortage persists,” said Charity Chilufya, urging the government to intervene and resolve the crisis.

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