By The Rio Times | Created at 2026-09-26 23:21:29 | Updated at 2026-09-27 00:17:03
1 hour ago
Mozambique · ENERGY
Key Facts
- —The country Mozambique, on Africa’s south-east coast, has about 36 million people and no oil refinery. Its economy, about US$22 billion in 2025 (World Bank), is smaller than Vermont’s.
- —Why it matters Tete, a city on the Zambezi river in the west, is the country’s coal-mining hub. Mines, lorries heading to Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and motorbike taxis all depend on trucked-in fuel.
- —Why now Petrol ran short again in Tete from Thursday afternoon, 24 September, into Friday’s public holiday. It is at least the third such squeeze in the city since early 2025.
- —What happened Broadcaster STV found only one station selling petrol on 25 September. Drivers and motorbike-taxi riders queued for hours; other stations had taped off their petrol pumps.
- —The numbers Official petrol price since May: about US$1.47 a litre. Street sellers in Tete charged up to about US$2.51 a litre in early September, close to double.
- —What it means for you Visitors and firms in Tete should keep tanks full and allow for queues. Officials warn that street fuel is stored and sold in unsafe conditions.
- —Still open No official has explained this week’s shortage or said when supply will return to normal. A crackdown on illegal sellers announced on 7 September is also untested.
A Mozambique petrol shortage has returned to Tete, the country’s inland coal hub. One filling station was left to serve the whole city.
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The latest Mozambique petrol shortage struck Tete city from Thursday afternoon, 24 September, and lasted into Friday morning. Mozambique is a country of about 36 million people on Africa’s south-east coast, and it imports all the petrol it uses.
Tete sits on the Zambezi river, far inland from the Indian Ocean ports. It is the centre of the country’s coal industry and a staging post for lorries bound for Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
One pump for a whole city
A tour of the city by STV, a private Mozambican television channel, found only one pump selling petrol. Long queues of drivers and motorbike-taxi riders formed, and many waited several hours to fill up.
At the other stations, tape around the pumps signalled that petrol had run out. Some stations were selling only diesel, the report in the daily O País said.
The timing hurt. Friday, 25 September, was Armed Forces Day, a public holiday, when motorbike-taxi riders had hoped to carry more passengers and earn more.
O País said neither the authorities nor station operators had explained the cause. Nor had anyone given a date for supplies to return to normal.
A shortage that keeps coming back
This is not the first Mozambique petrol shortage to hit Tete this year. On Wednesday, 8 April 2026, only two stations in the city had petrol. The business daily Diário Económico reported it, citing the newspaper Notícias.
Diesel stayed available then, as it did this week. The city also went through a similar squeeze in March and April 2025, when local papers reported just one working pump.
During that 2025 crisis, Deputy Energy Minister Inocêncio Impissa said there was fuel in the ports. The problem, he said, was getting it to towns such as Tete.
The state fuel company Petromoc warned that a US dollar shortage was delaying bank guarantees and payments to foreign suppliers. IMOPETRO, which then bought fuel abroad for all Mozambican distributors, said stocks covered at least 22 days.
Prices jumped in May
On Wednesday, 6 May 2026, the government raised fuel prices after trying to hold them for about two months. It blamed the war in the Middle East, which pushed up world oil prices.
Petrol rose 12.1 percent, from 83.57 meticais (about US$1.31) to 93.69 meticais (about US$1.47) a litre. Diesel rose 45.5 percent, from 79.88 meticais (about US$1.25) to 116.25 meticais (about US$1.82).
The figures were announced by Paulo da Graça, chairman of ARENE, the national Energy Regulatory Authority. The regulator sets prices by region, so the pump price in Tete can differ slightly.
At the new petrol price, a US gallon costs about US$5.56. Conversions here use 63.82 meticais to the US dollar, the open.er-api.com rate on 26 September 2026.
President Daniel Chapo, visiting Tete the next day, called the rise inevitable. He said the crisis was global and Mozambique’s prices remained among the region’s lowest, the Portuguese agency Lusa reported.
The street market fills the gap
When pumps run dry, roadside sellers step in. In early September, Tete street sellers charged 140 to 160 meticais (about US$2.19 to US$2.51) a litre for petrol and diesel.
That is close to double the official price, O País said. In districts such as Mateus Sansão Muthemba, where supply has been irregular, some residents still rely on the informal trade.
On Monday, 7 September, Otávio Semba, director of the provincial infrastructure service, announced a multi-agency team to step up inspections. He said action would follow against anyone selling fuel without a licence.
Mr Semba also said the shortage of recent months was easing, as stations were again receiving regular deliveries. Less than three weeks later, the queues were back.
Officials worry about more than prices. Fuel kept in homes and roadside containers carries a real fire risk, and it is sold outside any legal controls.
Why Tete is exposed
Every litre of petrol sold in Tete arrives by road or rail from a coastal port. Any delay in unloading, paying for or trucking fuel shows up first in inland cities.
A Mozambique petrol shortage also weighs on the mining economy around Tete. Heavy mine vehicles use diesel, but many staff and small suppliers drive petrol cars and motorbikes.
Motorbike-taxi riders told STV that the shortage cut into their earnings. Hours in a queue are hours without passengers.
The wider scramble for Africa’s minerals and infrastructure is covered in Africa: The New Scramble. Reliable fuel supply is a quiet but real part of that story.
What to watch next
The first test is how quickly petrol returns to Tete’s pumps after the holiday weekend. A longer gap would push more drivers back to the street sellers.
The second is whether the government or the fuel companies explain the cause. In 2025, the answers pointed to dollar shortages and road bottlenecks rather than a lack of fuel.
The third is price. Any new adjustment by ARENE would change the gap between the pump and the roadside, which reached almost double in September.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Tete short of petrol again?
No official cause has been given for the shortage that began on 24 September 2026. In a similar crisis in 2025, officials blamed transport bottlenecks and a shortage of US dollars for fuel imports.
How much does petrol cost in Mozambique?
Since May 2026 the official petrol price has been 93.69 meticais (about US$1.47) a litre. Street sellers in Tete charged 140 to 160 meticais (about US$2.19 to US$2.51) in early September.
Is it safe to buy fuel from street sellers in Tete?
Provincial officials say the trade is illegal and risky, because fuel is stored and sold outside legal conditions. A multi-agency inspection team was announced on 7 September 2026.
What should travellers to Tete do?
Fill up whenever a station has petrol, allow extra time for queues and check local news before long drives. Diesel has generally stayed available during the petrol shortages.
