Malawi’s Fuel Crisis Turns Petrol Stations into Overnight Camps

For eight consecutive days, drivers have been stranded at the Meru petrol station in Zomba, a former transit hub that now resembles a makeshift village of parked vehicles. By the ninth day, the scene remains unchanged: hundreds of minibuses and trucks line the road, their drivers sleeping on hoods, sharing charcoal braziers and rationing bottled water. Similar queues have formed at the Petroda station in Lilongwe, where daily fuel deliveries have dwindled to a fraction of normal capacity.

The Guardian

Malawi’s National Oil Company attributes the persistent shortages to a severe hard-currency deficit. In briefings before the parliamentary budget committee on October 2, oil officials disclosed that domestic vehicle use now consumes 2 million litres of fuel daily, requiring $49 million (£37.5 million) each month in foreign exchange—an amount the country cannot meet as agricultural exports have collapsed. Energy-ministry spokesperson Joan Thaundi said the petroleum sector must compete with other goods for limited U.S. dollars. The Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority’s public-relations manager Fitina Khonje explained that the government has liquidated millions of dollars in gold reserves to obtain short-term credit and has withdrawn non-essential state vehicles to preserve fuel for core operations.

The Guardian

At Petroda, attendant WillKens Chimwaza reports that the station’s normal daily capacity of 30,000 litres has fallen to 5,000 litres, causing fuel to run out within an hour of a tanker’s arrival. Taxi driver Gift Ngala in Mzuzu says he must purchase illicit fuel at inflated prices, forcing passengers to pay fares that strain household budgets already stretched for food and basic necessities. For minibuss driver Sido Sombeja, the crisis has frozen his earning capacity, leaving his family without the modest income the route once provided.

The Guardian

Energy officials stress that fuel procurement remains a top government priority, yet the cash deficit hampers purchases. Both acknowledge that without stabilising the supply chain, drivers and commuters will continue to bear the brunt of the emergency.

The Guardian

• “This is not a petrol station any more,” — Sido Sombeja — Sido Sombeja, driver

The Guardian