Filling Stations across the Zambian capital Lusaka were besieged by panicked motorists yesternight who wanted to beat the midnight deadline for the hiked price.
On Tuesday Energy Minister Yamfya Mukanga announced an increase from Kr1.63 for petrol up to Kr1.75, and Kerosene moving up by Kr1.68 per litre.
A check at Filling Stations saw motorists lining up to beat the deadline.
At Arcades Puma Filling Station motorists queued up hoping to be saved way before midnight.
The situation was the same at BP Filling Station in Long Acres where panicked motorists resorted to hooting to rush the attendants.
Meanwhile, the Zambian Watchdog reports that scores of bus drivers last evening stormed the United Party for National Development (UPND) secretariat along Addis Abbaba road demanding to be addressed by the party’s president Hakainde Hichilema over the 21% fuel price increases.
The bus drivers who were chanting anti-PF slogans arrived at the UPND secretariat around 17:30 hours at the secretariat and threatened to take the law in their own hands as they felt cheated by the ruling Patriotic Front promises.
The drivers, who chanted ba Sata balitugo’nga (Sata cheated us) slogans, demanded to be addressed by Hichilema on the next course. As well as call boys, the bus and taxi drivers are credited to have given Sata overwhelming support in the 2011 poll following promises of more money in their pockets.
However, the opposite is what is happening in President Sata’s governance where essential commodities such as fuel, electricity and mealie meal, are attracting price increases across the board.
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