By PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE –
GOVERNMENT has said there are enough fuel stocks in the country.
Energy and Water Development Minister, Christopher Yaluma has since assured motorists not to panic.
A shortage of fuel has hit Lusaka with most filling stations in the capital having no petrol.
This has resulted in motorists panick buying the commodity in an event that the situation persists.
A check by Times at some filling stations around Lusaka revealed that there was a shortage of petrol but fuel attendants spoken to were hopeful that the situation would soon normalise.

. Yaluma

Mr Yaluma said the country had enough stocks of fuel at Lusaka and Indeni depots.
He said the purported shortage of fuel was caused by failure by oil marketing companies to collect fuel from the depots.
“We have abundant fuel at our Lusaka depot storage facility and we have also received 11 trucks of fuel which are off-loading right now,” Mr Yaluma said.
What was needed was for the oil marketing companies to haul the fuel to their depots.
“Those are logistical problems which they did not plan for because of the holiday and during the holidays that is when people needed more fuel to sustain the travelling public,” the minister said.
Mr Yaluma said that Lusaka had as of Sunday 30,000 litres. Indeni had 1.6 million litres of petrol.
He said that the country has abundant fuel and it was a pity that some filling stations have been hit with shortage of fuel.
He dismissed reports that the shortage was as a result of Government plans to increase the price of fuel.