PARLIAMENT, Energy and Power Development minister July Moyo and the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) have been petitioned over the recent hiking of fuel prices.
Zera on Wednesday announced new fuel prices, with diesel and petrol surging nearly 16% and 27%, respectively, to US$2,05 and US$2,17, which has sparked cost and inflationary pressures across the economy in the country.
In a letter dated March 19, directed to the Parliament of Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, July Moyo, President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Zera, E-Movement and former MDC legislator for Silobela, Anadi Sululu, demanded an urgent review, transparency and investigation into Zimbabwe’s fuel pricing structure.
“On behalf of E-Movement, we respectfully submit this urgent request for a comprehensive review of Zimbabwe’s fuel pricing framework. Zimbabwe continues to record the highest fuel prices in the Southern African Development Community region, a situation that has intensified public concern, particularly following sharp increases in March 2026,” Sululu wrote.
“While global oil price volatility is acknowledged, the disproportionate escalation of local prices compared to regional peers raises serious questions about governance, transparency and structural integrity.”
He requested a clear and detailed explanation regarding why Zimbabwe’s fuel prices remain significantly higher than in South Africa, Botswana and Zambia.
Latest tracker records on regional fuel prices show that Angola now sells petrol at US$0,327 and diesel at US$0,43.
Botswana sells at US$1,14 and US$1,20, the Democratic Republic of Congo (US$1,06 and US$1,05), Eswatini (US$1,16 and US$1,19), Lesotho (US$1,07 and US$1,16), and Madagascar (US$1,17 and US$1,11) for petrol and diesel, respectively.
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Malawi is the highest with petrol at US$$2,85 and diesel at US$2,84, while Mauritius sells at US$1,25 and US$1,26.
Among all these countries, Zimbabwe comes second only after Malawi, and concerns have been raised.
Sululu demanded answers on the specific cost components that justify this disparity.
“Whether Zimbabwe’s pricing model has been benchmarked against regional best practices. Our technical analysis of the latest Zera build-up reveals a parasitic tax structure,” he wrote.
“The burden: Out of every US$2,17 paid for petrol, US$0,88 (over 40%) vanishes into government coffers via excise duty, the strategic reserve levy, carbon tax and debt redemption levies.
“The disparity: Landlocked neighbours like Zambia (US$1,40/L) and Botswana (US$1,15/L) prove that ‘logistics’ is a hollow excuse.
“Zimbabwe’s government collects more in taxes per litre than some neighbours pay for the fuel itself.”
He requested an immediate 30% reduction in non-essential levies to align with the Sadc average and investigation into Market Concentration.
“Public concern persists over the existence of a concentrated group of entities controlling fuel imports, logistics, and supply. We, therefore, call for a formal parliamentary investigation into the structure of Zimbabwe’s fuel supply chain,” he wrote.
“We demand disclosure of all major importers and their respective market shares, and clarification on whether any entity or group ‘Petropreneurs’ holds dominant or preferential access to import contracts, pipeline infrastructure, or foreign currency allocations.”
Sululu requested transparency on the apparent dual pricing system, specifically the rationale for US dollar-denominated pricing versus alternative mechanisms, the role of exchange rate considerations in determining pump prices and whether different market participants access fuel under varying cost structures.
He sought clarification on government policy regarding why the current system appears to favour market concentration over open competition, whether competitive tendering processes are consistently applied in fuel procurement and safeguards in place to prevent monopolistic or oligopolistic practices.
“We request full disclosure of the fuel pricing build-up, including import costs (FOB [free-on-board], freight, insurance, handling), pipeline and storage fees, wholesale and retail margins, all taxes, levies, and statutory charges.
“We request publication of the methodology used to determine pump prices, terms of any negotiated supply agreements and the identities of all contracting parties involved in fuel supply.”
Sululu said given the impact of mandatory ethanol blending on fuel prices, he requested disclosure of all ethanol suppliers operating in Zimbabwe, the contractual framework governing ethanol supply, pricing structures and margins associated with ethanol blending and justification for ethanol pricing relative to international benchmarks.
“Fuel is a strategic commodity with direct implications for the cost of living, business competitiveness, and national economic stability.
“The current lack of transparency undermines public confidence and raises concerns about fairness, efficiency and accountability.
“The E-Movement respectfully urges Zera and the Ministry of Energy and Power Development to reduce taxes. Immediately slash the strategic reserve and carbon levies, dismantle the monopoly, open ethanol supply to competitive regional bidding, and publish the build-up. Every cent of the US$2,17 price must be publicly justified.”
He urged Mnangagwa to ensure Executive oversight and leadership in addressing “this matter of national importance” and to restore transparency and competition in the fuel sector is essential to protecting Zimbabwean consumers and ensuring economic fairness.
The letter was copied to Finance minister Mthuli Ncube, the Competition and Tariff Commission, and the Auditor-General.
As of yesterday, Sululu had not yet received the responses from the responsible authorities.
However, on Thursday, at the ZimChief Executives - Policy Round Table conference in Victoria Falls, Energy and Power Development ministry chief director Benson Munyaradzi told participants that the fuel price hikes were temporary.
He said the government was employing a dynamic pricing model to reflect market realities and was actively seeking to break the pricing structure through increased competition among players.
He dismissed the claims that Zimbabwe had the region’s highest fuel prices.
“Let me also say that these are just temporary measures we have taken,” Munyaradzi said.
“We are reviewing the prices every two weeks.
“So, I am very hopeful that we might review the prices downward in the next two weeks.”
