Fuel shortages hit hard in Harare

Fuel queues are the norm in Zimbabwe's capital

Harare city council has admitted buying black market fuel as shortages severely disrupt their services.

Town Clerk Nomutsa Chideya told a parliamentary committee that they had fuel for only one fire engine and could not attend to burst pipes.

Zimbabwe has suffered repeated fuel shortages in recent years because of a lack of foreign currency for imports.

"We have sunk, we cannot operate effectively," the state-run Herald newspaper quoted him as telling MPs.

Last week, petrol prices in Zimbabwe doubled .

Queues

The council had not received its normal weekly 30,000-litre fuel allocation for a month, Mr Chideya said.

"For the sake of the health of the residents, we would rather buy the fuel on the parallel market. We will face the consequences later."

Rising fuel prices worldwide has made it even more difficult for Zimbabweans to import adequate supplies to meet the country's requirements.

The country is already in the midst of a deep economic crisis, with high unemployment, rampant inflation, and food shortages.

Queues for fuel and other basic commodities have become a normal way of life.

Last week, the IMF decided to defer for six months a ruling on whether to expel Zimbabwe because of its unpaid debts