Everyone in Zimbabwe has been struggling to cope with a drastic fuel shortage for the entire year. In September the situation became even more desperate, especially for diesel. Tankers bringing fuel from Kuwait arrived at the Mozambican port of Beira, landlocked Zimbabwe's nearest outlet to the sea, but they refused to offload their cargo because they had not been paid. The state-owned National Oil Company of Zimbabwe has defaulted on so many payments that Zimbabwe has lost all international lines of credit and must now pay cash up front for all deliveries of fuel. By 7am the sun is up and the heat of the day begins to rise.
Tempers also become heated when a vehicle tries to wedge in at the front of the queue.
People who slept in their vehicles all night jump out and shout at the driver. He glumly drives to the back of the queue which is now more than 150 vehicles. Police are now patrolling the area to prevent any violence. The shortage of fuel is so desperate that there have been shootings and brawls in queues. For a week now, police have been called out to maintain order.