Fuel demand escalates in L/stone – ERB
By Staff Reporter
ENERGY Regulation Board (ERB) has attributed the increase in illegal fuel vending in Livingstone to the higher demand of the commodity in the area compared to other border towns in the region.
ERB Consumer and Public Affairs Director Fred Hang’andu said Livingstone’s proximity to other towns bordering Botswana and Namibia had contributed to higher demand for fuel and consequently, increased cases of illegal fuel vending.
Hang’andu also noted that the pursuit of profit was another reason the vice had persisted as illegal fuel vendors mixed both diesel and petrol with Kerosene to increase the volume of their sales.
In response to a press query from ZANIS in Livingstone, Hang’andu stressed the need to curb the illegal vice as it impacted negatively on licensed facilities.
Hang’andu however, said ERB had put measures in place to curb illegal fuel vending, which included formation of a joint enforcement team constituting government security wings.
He further said surveillance activities on selected facilities and dwelling places across Livingstone and beyond would be followed by raids at an appropriate time.
