Country running out of fuel!

After two fantabulous weeks in South Africa, we came back to the “Real World”, with a big surprise waiting for us. We got a hint of what is going on, on the last day in Johannesburg. I got in touch with Adrian, who was supposed to pick us up from the airport, only to find out that he is unable to do that, because he cannot find fuel. When was the last time that happened to you? I was more than a little surprised, but after our arrival in Lusaka, we just took a cab home. The driver shed a little more light on the situation. We heard that the shortage started a week before our arrival.

I’m told that refineries have shut down, and fuel (the finished product) can be imported duty free (usually there is a 25% tax). However, given that Zambia is a landlocked country, and (from what I hear) most fuel will be imported from South Africa, it may take a while for enough fuel to arrive to normalize the situation.

Azadeh and I sold our CRV just before our departure to South Africa, but agreed with the buyer that we’d be able to use the car for the two weeks that we’ll be back in Zambia. Unfortunately, due to the crisis, the buyer was unable to put fuel in the car, and we received the car with almost no gas in it. We had to start strategizing on how to handle logistics.

Yesterday, we caught a ride to the Supermarket with our lunch caterers. On the way there, we saw a fuel truck at a gas station. We jumped out of the car and hurried to the BP station in Kabulonga – without a car and without a canister - I was going to figure out something… Also, sure enough, we weren’t the only people that spotted the truck, as a huge line had already formed. People started pushing around, cutting in line, and paying off security guards to get a better position. I was told that “on average” people wait two to three hours at gas stations, and sometimes still don’t get gas. I started walking around the gas station and strategizing what to do. A taxi driver was wondering what I am doing at the gas station without a car or a canister, and asked if I needed a ride somewhere. I told him that I am not there to look for a cab, and that I needed gas. He called over a friend who offered me 20 liters of petrol (the max 1 person can get these days) at a price of 200 pin (200,000 Zambian Kwacha, which with the current exchange rate is around $45), which is over 70% over the “market price” – I was “guaranteed” gas, and I would not have had to stand in line at all. I quickly calculated the premium he demanded, and I figured he deserved every bit of it. However, the question becomes whether or not I should support a black market. We did end up getting gas, but not without standing in line.

For me this gas shortage is the first experience of its kind and magnitude - An ENTIRE COUNTRY running out of fuel. The closest thing to this was Hurricane Katrina, but (with respect to fuel) that was only an issue for a couple of days (for me), not weeks! At work, there are plenty of theories how and why this happened, and plenty of politicians are being pointed at. From my point of view, this is nothing short of unbelievable. I have no idea how and why this happened, but this happened without any warning to the people, which is just mind boggling to me. Somebody had to see this coming. Some colleagues and friends expect this situation to continue for another three weeks, but I hope that won’t be the case. I am curious to see how this crisis affects the economy.