There have been some price movements in the past 2 weeks. It has become a norm that you can find some price reviews here and there. When you closely look at most of such reviews you will notice a pattern. It is usually the ZWL$ prices that are constantly being reviewed. The US dollar prices are mostly remaining static with only slight changes from time to time. Today we are looking at the latest fuel, tollgate fees, and ZUPCO fares updates.
Fuel Prices
Since the last time (effective from 2 August 2022) I highlighted a fuel prices update, there have been two reviews.
Petroleum Prices Effective From 26 August 2022
The new prices were as follows:
| ZWL | US$ | |||
| Diesel 50 (ZWL/Litre) | Blend E20 (ZWL/Litre) | Diesel 50 (US$/Litre) | Blend E20 (US$/Litre) | |
| Maximum Prices | 928.34 | 840.09 | 1.74 | 1.58 |
The old prices were as follows:
| ZWL | US$ | |||
| Diesel 50 (ZWL/Litre) | Blend E20 (ZWL/Litre) | Diesel 50 (US$/Litre) | Blend E20 (US$/Litre) | |
| Maximum Prices | 774.15 | 710.60 | 1.74 | 1.60 |
Magnitude Of Change
| ZWL | US$ | |||
| Diesel 50 (ZWL/Litre) | Blend E20 (ZWL/Litre) | Diesel 50 (US$/Litre) | Blend E20 (US$/Litre) | |
| +154.19 | +129.49 | no change | -0.02 | |
Petroleum Prices Effective From 30 August 2022 (The Current Prices)
The new prices are as follows:
| ZWL | US$ | |||
| Diesel 50 (ZWL/Litre) | Blend E20 (ZWL/Litre) | Diesel 50 (US$/Litre) | Blend E20 (US$/Litre) | |
| Maximum Prices | 946.63 | 857.71 | 1.74 | 1.58 |
The old prices were as follows:
| ZWL | US$ | |||
| Diesel 50 (ZWL/Litre) | Blend E20 (ZWL/Litre) | Diesel 50 (US$/Litre) | Blend E20 (US$/Litre) | |
| Maximum Prices | 928.34 | 840.09 | 1.74 | 1.58 |
Magnitude Of Change
| ZWL | US$ | |||
| Diesel 50 (ZWL/Litre) | Blend E20 (ZWL/Litre) | Diesel 50 (US$/Litre) | Blend E20 (US$/Litre) | |
| +18.29 | +17.62 | no change | no change | |
For a while now, fuel prices in US$ have been going down. It is only with this latest review that the US$ prices have remained the same. It is not easy to assume what will happen with the next review. This time around the ZWL$ prices went up with slimmer margins (unlike the 26 August 2022 review).
New Tollgate Fees Effective From 29 August 2022
(The previous review was effective from 3 August 2022).
The new fees are as follows:
| Class | USD | New Toll Fees (ZWL) |
| Motorcycles | Exempted | Exempted |
| Light Motor Vehicles | 2 | 1100 |
| Minibuses | 3 | 1650 |
| Buses | 4 | 2200 |
| Heavy Vehicles | 5 | 2750 |
| Haulage Trucks | 10 | 5500 |
| Residential Discount Per Term | 40 | 22000 |
New Tollgate Fees (In South African Rands Or British Pounds)
| Class | ZAR | BWP |
| Motorcycles | Exempted | Exempted |
| Light Motor Vehicles | 40 | 30 |
| Minibuses | 60 | 40 |
| Buses | 70 | 60 |
| Heavy Vehicles | 90 | 70 |
| Haulage Trucks | 180 | 130 |
| Residential Discount Per Term | 690 | 520 |
The old fees were as follows:
| Class | USD | New Toll Fees (ZWL) |
| Motorcycles | Exempted | Exempted |
| Light Motor Vehicles | 2 | 860 |
| Minibuses | 3 | 1290 |
| Buses | 4 | 1720 |
| Heavy Vehicles | 5 | 2150 |
| Haulage Trucks | 10 | 4300 |
| Residential Discount Per Term | 40 | 17200 |
Key to note is that the tollgate fees in foreign currency remain unchanged. I am sure you can see that pattern of ZWL$ prices being the ones that keep changing often.
New ZUPCO Fares Effective From 1 September 2022
The new US$ fares are as follows:
| Route | US$ Fare |
| BUSES | |
| 1-20km | 0.50 |
| 21-30km | 0.75 |
| 31-40km | 1 |
| KOMBIS | |
| 1-20km | 0.75 |
| 21-30km | 1 |
The new and old ZWL$ fares are as follows:
| Route | ZWL$ (Old) | ZWL$ (New) |
| BUSES | ||
| 1-20km | 140 | 300 |
| 21-30km | 180 | 400 |
| 31-40km | 220 | 550 |
| KOMBIS | ||
| 1-20km | 220 | 400 |
| 21-30km | 260 | 550 |
Nothing new here as in some places these fares were already effective. There are some inconsistencies, something I have always highlighted. There is a 40-kilometre route I at times travel on using ZUPCO buses. The fare is US$1 even for those travelling just 20 kilometres or 30 kilometres. For a while now, the ZWL$ fare for that 40-kilometre route has been ZWL$600. It is a slight difference of course from the official price, but why the inconsistencies? This is a common pattern for fuel prices; I have touched on this before too.
Overall, it is evident that the ZWL$ is unstable since ZWL$ prices have to be reviewed often. No wonder the subject of dollarization is always topical online. Some suggest that a currency board would do whilst others insist on dollarization.
