HARARE, May 12 (NewsDay Live) — While public attention remains fixed on the relative stability of petrol and diesel prices, a quieter crisis is unfolding in Zimbabwean homes: the sharp rise in cooking gas prices.
In the past two months alone, the cost of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) has jumped by nearly 25%, rising from about US$1.56 per kilogram in March to around US$1.95 today. For an ordinary urban household relying on a 9kg cylinder, that translates to an additional US$3.51 per refill — a heavy burden in an economy where wages have largely remained stagnant.
For many Zimbabweans battling erratic electricity supplies and rising charcoal costs, LPG is no longer a luxury. It is the backbone of daily survival. Yet consumers are now paying the price of both global instability and weaknesses within Zimbabwe’s own fuel supply system.
The story begins thousands of kilometres away in the Persian Gulf, where much of the world’s LPG originates from producers in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Before that gas reaches Zimbabwean kitchens, it must pass through the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most strategically sensitive shipping routes. With tensions involving Iran continuing to unsettle the region, global shipping costs have surged.
Tankers entering the Gulf now face steep war-risk insurance premiums, while fears over security disruptions have increased transport costs across global energy markets. Any rerouting around southern Africa adds days to delivery schedules and significantly inflates operational expenses.
Earlier this year, Acting Energy Minister Zhemu Soda warned that Zimbabwe had only a limited buffer against international supply disruptions. That cushion now appears to be shrinking, exposing consumers directly to volatile global LPG prices.
But global conflict explains only part of the problem.
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Once LPG enters the region through the Port of Beira in Mozambique and moves inland toward storage facilities in Mutare and Harare, questions begin to shift from international markets to local pricing structures.
Unlike petrol and diesel, which benefit from stronger state oversight because of their direct impact on transport and inflation, LPG operates in a less protected regulatory environment. That gap leaves consumers vulnerable to price increases and opaque mark-ups across the supply chain.
Zimbabwe’s fuel infrastructure also remains heavily concentrated among a small number of powerful players, creating limited competition and weak price transparency.
As a result, ordinary consumers are left asking a difficult question: how much of the LPG increase reflects genuine global costs, and how much comes from excessive local margins within a tightly controlled market?
The contrast with petrol and diesel prices is striking.
Despite international pressures, the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) has largely maintained stable fuel prices in recent months, with petrol and diesel hovering around US$2.08 per litre.
The political logic is straightforward. Sharp increases in diesel prices immediately raise transport fares, food costs and business expenses, creating broader economic and political pressure.
Cooking gas, however, receives far less protection despite becoming the primary household energy source for millions of urban residents affected by persistent power cuts.
In effect, Zimbabwe’s energy policy is shielding transport systems while shifting the burden of market instability onto households already struggling with inflation, unemployment and unreliable electricity.
The result is a growing “kitchen tax” on ordinary citizens.
Every increase in LPG prices forces families to cut spending elsewhere — on food, school fees or healthcare — simply to cook a meal.
Without greater transparency from the Ministry of Energy and clearer regulation of LPG pricing structures, public frustration is likely to deepen.
Zimbabweans deserve to know exactly how much they are paying for global supply disruptions — and how much they are paying for inefficiencies and concentration within the domestic fuel market.
