Harare — Zimbabwe’s fuel prices rose again this month, with diesel now selling at US$2.05 per litre and petrol (Blend E5) at US$2.17, the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) announced.
The regulator said the increases, the second price review this month, reflect mounting cost pressures on the international market driven by supply disruptions linked to the ongoing Iran–Israel–United States conflict.
In local currency terms the prices translate to ZWG52.19 per litre for diesel and ZWG55.13 per litre for petrol.
“While government ensures security of fuel supply, ZERA notes that cost pressures are piling up and these require that prices be reviewed for two weeks to avoid fuel shortages and arbitrage,” the authority said in a statement.
ZERA said the Middle East tensions have constrained global supply routes and raised import costs for fuel-dependent economies such as Zimbabwe.
Despite the rise in pump prices, the regulator assured consumers that national fuel stocks remain robust.
“Government notifies stakeholders that there are enough stocks of petroleum products… with more than three months’ supply cover,” ZERA said, noting supplies are secured from the port of Beira and inland storage facilities. Authorities are also working with oil traders to diversify supply routes away from those affected by the conflict.
To ease bottlenecks, government has approved the immediate importation of diesel by road to complement pipeline and rail deliveries.
ZERA said this intervention has helped limit the scale of the diesel increase, particularly for sectors that rely heavily on diesel such as mining, agriculture, haulage and passenger transport.
“The new price of diesel has been set with a view to mitigate the impact of the increase to the mining, agriculture, haulage services and passenger transport sectors.
Without government intervention, the price of diesel would have been US$2.20 per litre,” the regulator said.
State-owned entities PetroTrade and the National Oil Infrastructure Company (NOIC) will step up distribution efforts to ensure equitable fuel availability, especially in remote areas, ZERA added.
Analysts warn the continuous upward adjustments will ripple through the economy, lifting transport and production costs as Zimbabwe remains exposed to shocks in the global energy market.
