Zimbabwe once faced fuel crises for ten years as a result of economic failures and lack of planning in the fuel sector. Private companies and individuals are able to import product through DFI’s (direct fuel imports). The Government-run companies such as Petro Trade and Petroleum Marketing Company (PMC) regulate imports and direct all supplies through the pipeline in order to maintain a working facility and control product taxes. Currently, fuel is easily accessible at all filing stations across the country. The country has also started blending imported petrol with the locally-produced ethanol, a project that has the potential to assist the local petrol market. 

For contact information, please see the following links: 4.1 Zimbabwe Government Contact List.

For more information about fuel in Zimbabwe, please see the following attachment: Additional Zimbabwe Fuel Information

Fuel Pricing

Seasonal Variations 

The UN, NGOs and development agencies face potential challenges and risks of fuel shortages. However, the UN has put in place contingency measures where fuel can be imported through fuel companies and distributed through Fuel Coupons and Smart Cards with reputable fuel companies. These facilities can be used as a fall-back position in times of crisis. 

Fuel Transportation

Primarily, fuel is transported through a pipeline from Beira port in Mozambique, and by road and rail as well from Beira port and from South Africa. Internal fuel transportation is mainly done by road and a small portion being transported by rail.

Internal transportation of fuel products is carried out in fuel tankers. Many tankers are equipped with either solid chassis hulls or skid tanks on flat beds, but all meet the loading and offloading requirements at source and final destination.

Standards, Quality and Testing

The Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) Laboratories are implementing ISO/IEC 17025 quality management system and are at an advanced stage towards accreditation.  The SAZ auditing and certification management system is accredited by SANAS which is a testimony that we are competent to offer such services. This accreditation was first awarded close to 10 years ago to Guide 62 (General Requirements for Bodies operating Assessment and Certification/Registration of Quality System) and 66 (General Requirements for Bodies operating Assessment and Certification/Registration of Environmental Management Systems). The Quality Assurance Department was awarded international recognition to ISO 17021 for Certification Bodies on 11 September 2008.

There are over three thousand transport companies operating within Zimbabwe. This include commercial transport companies and own-account operators. The operators are registered with the Zimbabwe Road Operators Association, and this is mandatory for all interested transporters. The industry is slowly growing despite the prevailing economic challenges affecting the country. The country is using multicurrency of United States Dollar, bond notes and electronic cash.  

The macro-economy shock has impacted the transporting capacity across Zimbabwe, primarily due to fuel access. Fuel queues can be days long and rationed. Some fuel providers have direct fuel importation and will trade in US dollars. Transport providers with access to USD are able to continue functioning. The transporters are providing their services locally and regionally, depending with their capacities to service these routes. Many of the larger companies have fared well through these times but the smaller ones have struggled with upkeep and maintenance.

Transport requirement for most shippers is seasonal. Most parts of the country require transport services for the movement of tobacco, cotton and maize grain, especially soon after the summer season. In some cases, transporters are engaged by some NGOs, usually during the humanitarian food assistance. Very few transport users require transport services constantly throughout the year, e.g. Mining and Manufacturing. The current capacity is more than enough to meet domestic requirements. Foreign operators can provide transport services, but with specific conditions.

Humanitarian partners have assessed transport providers for contractual purposes for food assistance and emergency relief distribution in flood season. For more information on transport company contact details, please see the following link: 4.8 Zimbabwe Transporter Contact List

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider.

Most workers in Zimbabwe are on fixed term contracts. According to labour law, fixed term contracts expire at the end of the term specified. Employment may be terminated by mutual agreement. The law states that if a contract of employment does not specify the date of termination, other than a contract for casual work, seasonal work or for the performance of some specific service, it is deemed to be an indefinite contract. This provision is, however, conditional for casual workers. In accordance with section 20.1 of the Labour Act 2005, the Minister has the authority to specify the minimum wage and benefits for any class of employees in any undertaking or industry. Minimum wages are usually issued for industries not covered by the employment councils. 

In accordance with section 12A of the Labour Act 2005, wages should be paid at regular intervals on working days at or near the workplace. Remuneration payable in money should not be paid to an employee by way of promissory notes, vouchers, coupons, liquor, etc. Remuneration in kind shall not substitute entirely for remuneration in money. Also, the aggregate amount of permissible deductions that may be made from the remuneration of any employee in any pay interval shall not exceed 25% of the employee’s gross remuneration for that interval. In accordance with section 17.3 C&J of the Labour Act, the Minister for Labour may issue regulations regarding overtime, shift work and night work. Overtime may be regulated under Collective Bargaining Agreement (section 74.3.E of Labour Act). No such regulation could be located. Overtime rates are determined by the National Employment Councils through a Collective Bargaining Agreement. The minimum overtime rate is 150% of the normal wage rate when workers have to work beyond normal working hours, as determined by the National Employment Councils. The standards working hours are 8.5 hours a day and 44 hours a week.

Zimbabwe's economic crises prior to 2009 led to many of the country's most skilled and well educated citizens to emigrate, leading to widespread labour shortages for managerial and technical jobs. At the same time, the decade long severe contraction of the economy caused formal sector employment to drop significantly.

For more information on manual labor costs in Zimbabwe, please see the following attachment: Additional Zimbabwe Manual Labor Information

Minimum Wage

In accordance with section 20.1 of the Labour Act 2005, the Minister has the authority to specify the minimum wage and benefits for any class of employees in any undertaking or industry. Minimum wages are usually issued for industries not covered by the employment councils. 

Regular Pay

In accordance with section 12A of the Labour Act, 2005, wages should be paid at regular intervals on working days at or near the workplace. Remuneration payable in money should not be paid to an employee by way of promissory notes, vouchers, coupons, liquor etc. Remuneration in kind shall not substitute entirely for remuneration in money. Also, the aggregate amount of permissible deductions that may be made from the remuneration of any employee in any pay interval shall not exceed 25% of the employee’s gross remuneration for that interval.

Minimum Wages in Zimbabwe for the year 2015

As the UN is not a member of The National Employment Council the Manual Labour costs have been withheld. The type of contracts that UN enter with service providers puts the labour obligation on the service provider. UN does not deal directly with the labourers.

For more information on manual labor costs in Zimbabwe, please see the following attachment: Additional Zimbabwe Manual Labor Information

The communications system in Zimbabwe was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000 outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number of installed but unused main lines domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines, radiotelephone  communication stations, fixed wireless local loop installations, and a substantial mobile-cellular network; Internet connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns and for some of the smaller ones.

Below are major highlights from 2014:

• Total number of active mobile subscribers is 11.4 million.
• Total number of active fixed telephone subscriptions is 340,852 subscribers
• Internet penetration rate reached 47.5%
• Total number of base stations (2G,3G & LTE) is currently 4,603 base stations.
• Available International internet bandwidth capacity reached 21,840Mbps
• International: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat; 2 international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru)
• Growth of mobile transfer services(i.e Econet-EcoCash,Telecel-TeleCash,NetOne-One Wallet) has reached 4.9 million subscribers and 20,569 agents facilitating deposits amounting to $403,149,620 in the 3^rd quarter of 2014
• Whatsapp mobile application has now become a popular platform for communication not only nationally but internationally connecting people globally through their messenger service that utilises data consumption.

Cell phones in Zimbabwe have overtaken land phones as many cellular phones now provide Internet access and cell phone computers. SMS, MMS and broadband are becoming standard features on cell phones. Shopping for cell phone deals, the best broadband and cell phone service will save you money and help increase your productivity.

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe is Zimbabwe's largest provider of telecommunications services enjoying a 56.8% market share in mobile subscriptions, followed by NetOne and Telecel with 23.7% and 19.5% respectively. These companies provide solutions in mobile and fixed wireless telephony, public payphones, internet access and payment solutions. 

For more information on telecoms contacts, please see the following link: 4.9 Additional Services Contact List 

Telephone services
Is there a landline telephone network?				Yes
Does it allow reliable international calls?				Yes
The information gateway is limited to Tel-One, (and Econet by default), the Government can manage communications in a time of crisis. International calls are possible but are not reliable.
On average length of downtime periods for landline connections				From 12hrs to 6 weeks
Is there a mobile phone network?				Yes
Econet		Most popular network – operating in major cities, centres and arterial routes. Econet Wireless Zimbabwe says that it has concluded agreements with ZTE and Ericsson to supply and install equipment valued at over US$170 million for the expansion of its network from the current subscriber capacity of 4 million to just over 5.5 million. The work to be undertaken by the two companies and their subcontractors include the expansion of the GSM network, which is already GPRS enabled, as well as the separate installation of a national 3G network for all of Zimbabwe's major cities and tourist resorts. Currently, 3G is only available in parts of the capital Harare. Econet currently has just over 4 million subscribers and plans to exceed the level before the end of December. Investment by Econet during this year has enabled Zimbabwe to take its penetration rate from less than 10%, just a few months ago, to over 30% before the end of 2011. As a listed company, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe is the largest Zimbabwean company by market capitalisation, and remains the single largest investor in Zimbabwe.
Net-one		Net*One is the third largest cellular company in Zimbabwe and has over 900,000 subscribers. It provides coverage to all major towns and cities, all small towns, and tourist resorts. Net*One is affiliated with service providers Firstel Cellular and Zellco Cellular in phone sales, telephone cards and billing. The company offers a wide range of services including vehicle tracking and vehicle monitoring using global positioning satellite technology, throughout Zimbabwe and neighbouring countries. It offers equipment registration and SOS services. It also offers internet and data services.
Telecel		Telecel is the second largest cellular company in Zimbabwe and has over 1700,000 subscribers. It provides coverage to all major towns and cities, all small towns, and tourist resorts. It also offers internet and data services
Telone	Dial One a brand of Tel One offers the largest landline network in Zimbabwe that provides telecommunications to: Small and Large corporate enterprises Educational Institutions Research Organisations Multi Nationals Government and NGO’s Embassies and Foreign governments Individuals Dial One provides exciting and innovative services ranging from advanced functions such as prepaid phone cards, speed dialling and conference calling to toll free service.
	Internet Services Include:				Information Transfer includes:
	Leased line internet service Dial Up internet service Domain registration Domain hosting Internet Consultancy				ISDN ADSL ATM Managed Data Network
Procedure to obtain subscription			Land lines require a detailed procedure: Vigorous background credit checks, id documentation, proof of residence and guarantor for Landline

Telecommunication Regulation

Four separate pieces of legislation have a bearing on the regulatory environment for the Information and Communications Technology industry in Zimbabwe. These are the Postal and Telecommunications Act of 2000, the Broadcasting Services Act of 2001, the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act of 2002, and the Interception of Communications Act of 2007. At the present time, regulation of the ICT sector is divided between the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ), the Postal and Telecommunications Authority (POTRAZ) and the Media and Information Commission (MIC). POTRAZ is accountable to the Minister of Transport and Communications, while BAZ and the MIC report to the Minister of Media, Information, and Publicity. (Infrastructure and Growth in Zimbabwe)

The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) is the industry regulator for telecommunications bearing responsibility for Economics(related to telecommunications), tariffs, competition, technical services and postal & courier services. POTRAZ has given mobile operators the go-ahead to offer additional services based on 3G and VoIP technology under their current licences, reports local news source Business Chronicle. In a statement, POTRAZ said it was amending the concessions of the operators so that they could begin offering new services to their customers. In an interview with the Chronicle, POTRAZ spokesperson Tawungana Ndoro said operators were still required to submit applications to the regulator to increase the scope of the services that they provided.

Zimbabwe has three licensed GSM network operators, Econet Wireless, NetOne and Telecel; the largest by subscriber base, Econet, has already begun deploying 3G W-CDMA technology.

Existing Humanitarian Telecoms Systems

Satellite Phones do not need frequencies as they use Sim cards. All the UN Agencies use the same frequencies or both HF and VHF. Voice over IP (VoIP) is a service of Vsat and therefore limited to WFP globally. VSAT/Satellite phones cannot be shut down and govt acknowledges their presence but they are illegal beyond the diplomatic requirements.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

Zimbabwe is connected to the undersea global fibre-optic backbone through 4 different links and consequently most major towns are now able to access high speed internet connectivity. There are at least 2 major private and just as many parastatal fibre optic internet providers.  Several more provide internet access through a combination of different technologies while riding on the major providers for international uplinks. Most major businesses are connected to the internet using broadband fibre optic links in the office and also offer their staff mobile internet through the 3/4G cellular network which offers reasonable coverage in major cities. Cellular data rates though often quite high have a tendency to fluctuate unpredictably.

Internet connectivity is stable in major cities where service providers ensure the availability of backup power solutions, however, smaller locations are affected by load shedding and will often lose connectivity for the duration of the power outage.

For current telecom info visit POTRAZ Website.

For more information on telecommunications in Zimbabwe, please see the following attachment: Additional Zimbabwe Telecommunications Information