Malawi claims on fuels shortage are ‘lies’ –Mozambique
Mozambican port managers have denied claims by Malawi that the current shortage of fuel in that country is due to congestion in the Mozambican ports of Nacala and Beira.
Two managers of Beira and Nacala ports, Carlos Mesquita and Fernando Couto, described the claims as “lies”, when interviewed by Radio Mozambique on Monday.
Anyone with the slightest knowledge of the port of Nacala is well aware that its main problem is not congestion, but the exact opposite – chronic under-use. Nacala is regarded as the best deep water port on the east African coast. It does not need to be dredged and ships of any size can dock there.
It could certainly take tankers carrying fuel to Malawi – if the Malawians could pay for it. And this seems to be the real problem.
Fernando Couto, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Northern Development Corridor (CDN), which runs the Nacala port and rail system, told the radio that the real cause of Malawi’s fuel problems is that Malawi is short of foreign currency.
“The Malawians have even asked us to lend them fuel”, Couto revealed. He stressed that tankers are always granted priority in docking. Certainly, CDN has no interest in sabotaging the supply of fuel to Malawi – for when there is no fuel flowing from Nacala to Malawi, CDN does not receive the port and rail fees for that cargo.
Mesquita, the CEO of Cornelder Mozambique, the consortium which runs the port of Beira, also categorically denied the Malawian claims.
Although there are limitations on the size of ship that can dock at Beira, the port is not congested. “There must be some other motive”, said Mesquita.
Even before the dust has settled down over the QS issue…the president seems is yet into another scandalous down turn of events which might force him to come up with yet another skewed and inflamatory statistics about Atumbuka sabotaging the fuel supply system….just to save his reputation as an economic czar of a failing state!!
My God! We are heading the Zimbabwe way!
The president seems to be dragging himself deeper into unchartered waters and discontent by a wider section of Malawians will definately be the order of the day before long.
Blame will fly high…and typical of a failed leader(Mugabe type)he will squarely put the blame on a certain section of society as culprits.
History seems to be repeating itself on Bingu. When he was at the helm of COMESA, his arrogance and self centred attitude costed him his job. Now it seems his presidency can only have the support of his mulhako cronies(MTL)and the people of the central region he desparately wants to appease with his QS in education. It’s apparent that in his second term of office, he is preoccupied with enriching himself and at the same time trying by all means not to leave behind any trace of his evils… and in so doing he is forgetting that he is there to run the country effectively and without bias or favour.
That’s the problem when the president surrounds himself with “skewed” home boys and advisors of questionable political track record of Ntaba’s calibre.
Have you heard that Bingu has bought a jet for K2 billion?
how is the country expected to sustain its drain on forex when Bingu just paid 2.2 billion kwacha for his toy airplane?
ex-hon.
NDUNGU, i like you very much in the way you comment on these national issues!let me tell you this government will not survive beyond 2014 because the man in the driving seat is intoxicated with this type of beer called ARV Kachu brew prepared in his own village Kamoto in Thyolo.He will definately find a stupid scapegoat on the shortage of fuel in this country! let us wait and see, he will tell us,as of now he is still drinking his beer with his two useless daughters by the name tapiwa and duwa, very useless bitches!
A Ndugu, kodi a Ntabanso ndi mulakho?? Stupid regionalistic fella. Bingu has done well to bring up this QS as it has literally shown us what and how ahinyas think about the other tribes of Malawi.
Abale nkhani ya fuel ndi nkhani ya quota system kapena nkhani ya mulhakho zikugwirizana? Abale give us a break khani za quota system ndi za mulhakho zatopetsa. And government must do something on fuel and that should be done fast osamangokamba nthano izi ndi izo.
This is Bingu Wangotalikas gofmenti. Mafuta asowa ndiye kuti chani. Ife zimenezo sizitikhudza. Timangokwera njinga kuchokera ku ndirande kukafika pa wenera basi.
The gvnt is passing thru hard times, water problem in Blantyre and some parts of the country, no electricity, no forex, no fuel, koma abale zosautsa, just admit you have failed mukufuna anthu apange chiyani? Tipange zaku Madagascar kapena?? Where is Gwanda & his team lead us tingopanga zomwezo, tatopa ndipo tikafika polankhula dziwani kuti sidzili bwino!!
Ndizimenezotu, I think this makes sense and not the congestion one. I just pray that let there not be any northerner associated with the dealing of fuel in Malawi because the blame will not only go to that person but the whole northern region. In Malawi you have created a stituation where by all northerners (including Goodal, Kachali, with all yes bwanas) to be black cocks – too bad. It seems no matter how best they can do, they will remain useless. They have turned to be skape goats to someones failures. Check if you can now see a northerner promoted to any senior position in civil service (directors or duputy directors, etc.) regardless of having Masters. They are being headed by people with MSCE (i.e. Mutuwumodzi at Information) in some cases though at the same time they are used to do all directors works because of their knowledge, experience and hard work – check.
A Ndugu whats this issue to do with Atumbuka or Qs system.All that matters to yu is Tumbuka?Big deal