Fuel Station Frenzy Forces ZERA to Freeze Urban Licences
A surge in unregulated fuel stations crowding Zimbabwe’s urban centres has triggered a licensing freeze by the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA), as officials scramble to contain planning chaos and growing safety concerns.
The suspension was announced during an Environmental Social Governance (ESG) conference held in Harare last Friday, where ZERA outlined plans to overhaul site approval procedures and tighten regulatory controls.
Explaining the urgency behind the move, ZERA’s Technical Services Director, Engineer Man’arai Ndovorwi stated that the regulator is working closely with local authorities to address gaps in the current system that have allowed service stations to be built with minimal oversight.
“The issue of mushrooming of service stations in the CBD or in urban centres is, of course, of concern for us.
“One of the challenges or loopholes that we had in our legislation was the licensing of these sites after they had obtained commercial development rights,” he noted.
He went on to reveal that ZERA is now pushing for a new by-law that would enforce a minimum distance of 15 kilometres between fuel stations.
“We are currently in talks with the local authorities to ensure that we revise the by-laws so that the actual permitting and licensing of these service stations is done before the development.
“We also want to amend our regulations to specify how far apart service stations must be,” Ndovorwi explained.
According to The Herald, Harare City Council recently admitted to poor coordination in issuing permits, with some stations built just one metre apart.
Responding to this, Ndovorwi confirmed that the government has issued a moratorium on new developments in urban centres, which also applies to commercial sites such as fuel stations.
“So currently we are not licensing any service stations in urban areas. But we are working around the issue to ensure safe spacing between new stations going forward,” he clarified.
To reduce land use and improve efficiency, Ndovorwi highlighted that ZERA is encouraging a shift toward containerised fuel stations, which are portable, cost-effective, and easier to manage.
“We are now encouraging them to put containerised fuel stations, which are coming at 20 percent of the cost of putting up a service station.
“This is actually a way to curb the uncontrolled growth of stations in city centres,” he pointed out.
Containerised fuel stations are self-contained units built inside standard shipping containers, with above-ground storage tanks and secondary containment.
These portable stations can be relocated as needed and are seen as a practical solution for managing fuel retail infrastructure in congested urban areas.
Looking ahead, Ndovorwi indicated that ZERA is also aiming to redirect investment toward rural communities, where fuel access remains limited.
“In other jurisdictions, we find that the minimum distance between these service stations should be around 15 kilometres. That is what we are hoping to implement as we expand beyond CBD”, he observed.
He emphasized that the proposed changes are not only meant to improve urban planning but also to ensure equitable fuel access across the country.
