Africa Super League: What we know and don't know
THE Africa Super League was launched in Tanzania this week amid much fanfare, with huge prize money for the 24 clubs who qualify for the first edition next year.
THREATS by the Fuel and Franchise Association of Namibia (Fafa) to shut down petrol stations nationwide point to long-held concerns about how the government determines the price of fuel.
The association wants the government to relook at how much service station dealers get from the sale of fuel.
To some, demands by the petrol stations could be seen as chasing profits.
Their demands appear to be legitimate, especially demanding answers from a government which has splurged on non-urgent projects, such as the national fuel storage facility, which gobbled up N$6,5 billion in public funds.
“They say petrol is coming in at the port of Walvis Bay at about N$8 a litre, but service stations are not getting any profit, and want to know where all the money is going,” an industry insider told The Namibian this week about the concerns of the association.
The Namibian has, over the years, questioned the levies the government has attached to the cost of fuel. These include road-user charges via the Road Fund Administration and the accident levy.
We also pay a levy of 60 cents per litre for the repayment of a loan for the national fuel storage facility, which was pushed by prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.
Last year, we reported that from 2018 to October 2021, Namibian motorists and businesses paid N$2,4 billion towards the storage facility.
The chickens are now seemingly coming home to roost.
A key takeaway from the strike threat is for the government to urgently review the charges it has added to the cost of fuel, which are now fuelling the cost-of-living crisis.
Namibians are already failing to make ends meet.
