The Zimbabwe Guardian (London)
Tendai Chikukwa
21 June 2008
ZIMBABWE'S Minister of Energy and Power Development, Retired Lieutenant-General Mike Nyambuya is in Equatorial Guinea meeting his counterpart to negotiate an oil deal which will help ease the current fuel shortages in the country, the Zimbabwe Guardian has learnt.
Sources say the deal with Equatorial Guinea was a purely commercial energy trading agreement and had nothing to do with the current trial of mercenary and 'Dog of War' Simon Mann, as critics had speculated.
Simon Mann is currently facing trial in the west African state for trying to topple the government of President Teodoro Nguema. The coup plot was foiled when the mercenaries were captured in Zimbabwe.
Government sources confirmed that a deal had now been signed with the government of Equatorial Guinea. The energy resources are to be bought and sold at market rates on the Zimbabwean market.
President Mugabe recently confirmed this deal during his election campaign in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second largest city.
"The Minister (of Energy and Power Development) is there (Equatorial Guinea) to negotiate for more fuel and also for us to get it more regularly."
The government last week launched a fuel subsidy scheme in Bulawayo which enabled passenger transporters to reduce their fares from $2 billion a trip to $500 million.
The President said the Government was committed to ensuring that the transport sector got more reliable fuel supplies.
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