Malawi's fuel woes hang over election

IN EARLY morning gloom, a long line of vehicles winds around the lone fuel station in Dedza district in central Malawi, one of many overnight queues for petrol across the country.

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It is a scene of frustration over chronic petrol shortages and a sputtering economy that has become a black mark against President Lazarus Chakwera as he seeks a second term at September 16 elections.

“My business is not doing well because of the scarcity of fuel,” said Nelson Mazola, a middle-aged boda-boda motorcycle taxi driver at the front of the line, shaking his head with exhaustion.

“Now it’s becoming difficult to convince people to pay higher fares, even when they need to get a patient to the hospital quickly,’ said Mazola in the largely rural district outside the main city of Lilongwe.

It is in rural areas where petrol shortages hurt the most, increasing the costs of transportation and food in the southern African country where more than 70% of the population live in poverty, according World Bank data.