Maputo — The fuel company Puma Energy Zambia has ordered its staff to park its trucks currently in Mozambique in safe places following the strike declared by fugitive presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane.

Mondlane has called for seven days of strikes and demonstrations culminating in a "march on Maputo' next Thursday, 7 November. He openly claims that the purpose is to overthrow the Mozambican government.

Last Wednesday, Puma energy advised all transport operators passing through Mozambique to park their trucks until future notice, fearing that they might be attacked by anti-government demonstrators.

Zambia depends on fuel imported via Mozambican ports. Cited by the independent newsheet "Carta de Mocamboque', Kafula Mubanga, the chairperson of the Zambian Association of Fuel Marketing companies (OMCAZ) warned that the country could pass through some periods of fuel shortages, due to the wave of protests against electoral fraud in Mozambique.

Mubanga said the current challenges faced by both Mozambique and Zimbabwe should serve as a reminder that Zambia needs to invest in its own fuel pipelines to guaranteed uninterrupted supplies.

The spokesperson for the National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA), Raymond Likambale said on Thursday that he was not yet able to say whether the Mozambican protests will affect the supply of fuel to Malawi.

"We don't know the details of the strike', he said, "and so it's difficult to say whether or not it will have an impact on fuel supplies'.

Malawi depends on the Mozambican ports of Nacala and Beira, and any disturbances affecting these ports could have serious knock-on effects on Malawian fuel supplies.

Malawi is already rationing fuel, in an attempt to ensure that the available fuel reaches the entire country. This has led to a thriving black market in fuel, with fuel sold at exorbitant prices.

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