Diesel shortages feared

The authorities in Malawi have said that the country only had three days reserve of diesel fuel - well below the normal 30 days’ reserve, according to news reports on Thursday. The reports quoting Ralph Kamoto, general manager of the state-appointed Petroleum Control Commission which regulates fuel imports, as saying the consortium of private oil companies responsible for 80 percent of oil imports had only three days of diesel in reserve. He accused the consortium of inefficiency. “As a regulator, we are saying no to this. We have powers to enforce disciplinary measures against the consortium,” he told AFP. But Richard Kamphale, general manager of Petroleum Importers Limited, tried to downplay the problem saying that the sporadic shortages of diesel, mainly in the centre and north of the country, were a temporary hiccup caused by faulty pumps.