Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Parliament has requested that the Minister of Energy and Power Development, July Moyo, deliver a ministerial statement following two recent fuel price hikes by the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) this month.
On 4 March 2026, ZERA raised diesel from US$1.52 to US$1.77 per litre, while petrol went up from US$1.56 to US$1.71. Then, on Wednesday, 18 March, diesel jumped to US$2.05 and petrol to US$2.17 per litre.
The increases were blamed on the ongoing Middle East conflict, which has pushed global oil prices above US$100 a barrel.
Speaking in the National Assembly on Thursday, Marondera Central MP Caston Matewu (CCC) noted that these pump prices are far higher than those in neighbouring countries. He said:
“We take note of the geopolitical crisis in the Middle East, where there is a war between Iran, Israel and the US, which has caused the price of oil to increase in the past few weeks.
“We note that this has led to fuel increases across the world, and SADC is no exception to that.
“However, the average increase between January and now in fuel in the SADC region is around 5%, but the increase in Zimbabwe between January and now is almost 40%.
“This is a massive discrepancy with what is happening within the region as far as the prices for oil are concerned.”
Matewu said Moyo should appear before Parliament to explain why fuel prices in Zimbabwe are so much higher than in neighbouring countries. He said:
“It is with that, Madam Speaker, that we ask that an urgent Ministerial Statement by the Minister of Energy and Power Development be given in this House as a matter of urgency to address and inform the House why our fuel is so expensive and why the price inclination has gone so much more for Zimbabwe than anyone else.”
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