The Sunday News
Gabriel Masvora Economic Focus
THE Government is seemingly undeterred in trying to push for the increase in levels of blending of petrol as a way of reducing the import bill for fuel.
In the past weeks the Government raised mandatory blending levels to 15 percent from 10 percent and indications are that the figures will continue being reviewed. The idea is good and if this is going to save a few dollars that will be channelled to other developmental projects then it deserves everyone’s support.
However, this is not to say as a country we must ignore expert advice and force motorists to use the fuel without looking at the other side or rather what happened in the past when people were forced to consume what they did not like.
Willowvale Mazda Motor Industries managing director Engineer Dawson Mareya said E15 was not compatible with Mazda cars and might result in engine malfunction.
This was after Nissan Zimbabwe last year also expressed disappointment over the use of blended fuel in its vehicles.
Croco Motors which supplied legislators with all-terrain vehicles have gone further and even suggested which garages the representatives are supposed to fuel their cars.
Energy and Power Development Minister Cde Dzikamai Mavhaire, in defending the increase of blending levels raised something worth interrogating.
In his response he said those who were opposing the idea were “young and childish” to know that the country once used up to E25.
He said the country’s thrust and economy was not determined by a few people who own Mercedes-Benz cars.
“It is determined by how we benefit as a country. Firstly, there is employment creation, saving money lost through importation of fuel, reducing price of fuel and generating power.”
“You must understand, economic development is not about a few individuals. When the economy is developing, you adjust accordingly and Mercedes- Benz or Mazda is not what it was at the beginning. They adjust along the way.”
Cde Mavhaire argues that his ministry and (him) personally did consultations on the matter but to completely disregard the views of experts basing on age might have been hitting below the belt.
Firstly, some of the people who are raising the red flag over the use of the fuel are technocrats. These are the same people the Government loves parading as fruits of the country’s robust education system and to then dismiss them simply because they were young when Minister Mavhaire was already a minister is taking issues emotionally.
Is he suggesting that what these experts are saying does not hold water simply because they had not acquired the skills when he was already in Government?
In other words it is like dismissing all the people who acquired different skills after he started serving in Government.
Secondly, ministerial posts are not professions. They are political appointments that are there to provide direction of the Government. When it comes to the real work, these ministers rely on various experts in their ministries to give them the right information. When these experts were educated does not matter but the skills they acquired do.
That is why someone from any background can be a minister of anything. All what is needed is to provide the direction to the technocrats to implement his/her vision.
That is why Zimbabwe has for the past few years had lawyers as Ministers of Finance in spite of churning out economists yearly from higher learning institutions.
These ministers simply rely on the economists that are employed in the ministry to work out the dynamics. Hence we have had ministers occupying different portfolios and still succeed.
But this still does not make them experts to the extent of chiding those who actually studied the different areas under their ministries.
Ministers must in fact rely on these professionals to ensure that they implement sound policies.
All the various experts who have raised concern over blending levels cannot be wrong and we cannot just ignore them.
It is common that with technological advancements a lot of things change every day. A car engine in 1980 is certainly no longer the same as an engine made today.
In our situation it is even more complicated because apart from importing most of the cars, even the few which are branded local are not even local. They are simply assembled here while all the tool kits are imported.
I hope the consultations which Cde Mavhaire did involved the manufacturers of these tool kits and cars from as far as Japan and it will be good if he can let the public know what they said.
That way, motorists will stop doubting his pronouncements, and he does not even need to bring in the issue of being “childish and young” in the picture to support his ideas.
Minister Mavhaire must in fact use his experience in Government which has accorded him the opportunity to travel to other countries, to tell how these countries have managed the issue.
In other countries, Governments have simply given the motorists the chance to choose among different types of blended fuel.
We can adopt the same method and allow those who do not want to use the high blends a choice.
Surely no one will buy expensive fuel knowing that his/her car is compatible with E15 or any above so we still serve everyone.
As a country we have tried the one-size-fits-all and we have seen the consequences.
As Minister Mavhaire announced the hardline stance on the use of E15, some people are already at the country’s borders ready to import the less blended fuel.
As time goes on this will move from the owners of the cars to smugglers who will start selling the fuel on black market.
At the end all the so-called benefits will start fading. The money we are trying to harness will be going to import the fuel illegally and even in terms of benefits only a few people will line up their pockets.
At the same time what benefits will the country achieve if most of these cars start developing engine failures. The money we are trying to save will now be used to import other cars to replace those that would have been grounded.
The challenges many people faced in the past have given them some skill to exploit every available chance to get more money.
After all the money we are trying to save is also going to a private investor as Green Fuel is largely owned by a private company.
What the investor does with the money is up to him as there is no guarantee that he will use the money locally or that he/she will not take the money outside the country.
Unless at least the project was wholly a parastatal then we would at least know that definitely we are saving the money for developmental projects that the Government has direct control over.
Maybe we need to re-look at what the experts are saying and come up with a win-win situation.
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