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Bianca Mlilo Business Reporter
NINETY percent of gas retailers in Zimbabwe are not licensed partly because of high licensing fees, an official said yesterday. Speaking on the sidelines of an LP Gas (LPG) training seminar in Bulawayo yesterday, Andrew Guri, an engineer responsible for petroleum with the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera), said this was dangerous for consumers to buy from untrained sellers.

“At the moment I’d say the compliance rate for retailers is about 10 percent, which means 90 percent of them aren’t licensed and we’re now getting them through these awareness programmes and enforcement,” he said.

“The Zera licence, which is the last a retailer should secure in the registration process, costs $50 per year but I’m aware that fees by other authorities are quite prohibitive which is one reason why the retailers’ compliance is on the lower side.

“A retailer would’ve to get licences from the fire brigade, local authorities, Environmental Management Authority (EMA) and lastly the Zera licence.”

The EMA licence costs $603,75 per year, while the Fire Brigade licence is charged according to the size of the workspace.

An inspection by the Fire Brigade costs $15 and the city council’s charge is hinged on the findings of the fire service.

“We’ve been making representations with the relevant ministries to have the fees reviewed and there’s been a positive response from the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate, under which EMA falls because it was one of the major sticking issues which were inhibiting compliance,” said Guri.

“There’s been a positive shift towards compliance by wholesalers, those who import gas from South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia and all gas wholesalers are licensed.

“We’re now moving to the retailers, the people who take the gas to the households.

“We’re also working closely with the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe to raise consumer awareness on LPG, and the first and most important thing is to ask your filler for a licence.

“If he/she fails to produce a licence then that raises a red flag, they haven’t been trained and don’t know LPG standards and you’re better off going to another dealer.”

Zera is on a nationwide drive to train gas retailers and similar seminars have been conducted in Harare and Mutare is the next port of call.