FROM sitting under a tree with a 5 litre container of fuel and selling mostly to illegal taxi operators in 2015, Mr Tapfuma Chikutu is now counted among the top registered suppliers of petroleum products in Zimbabwe.
He and his wife, Nomalanga, run a chain of Allied Petroleum
fuel service stations in the country.
The couple started as vendors in 2015, occasionally having
running battles with authorities as illegal sale of fuel usually leads to a
cat-and-mouse game with police and local authority officials.
Vision, determination and patience saw the couple opening
its first-ever garage in 2019 in Bulawayo near Fairbridge.
The first branch has given birth to five others, the latest
being Allied Petroleum Hwange which was officially opened by Matabeleland North
Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Richard Moyo.
The new entity is a boost to Hwange and surrounding areas
where there have only been three fuel stations in the coal mining town.
One Allied station is at Halfway along the
Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway, another in Masvingo and the rest are in
Bulawayo.
Allied Petroleum is a division of Plugin Investments which
specialises in the supply and retail of petroleum products, motor spares,
lubricants and vehicle accessories and a member of the Direct Fuel Imports
(DFI) group.
Mr Chikutu, who is the founder and chief executive of
Allied Petroleum, said a conducive environment created by the Second Republic
for business start-ups has led to his success.
When he started the business as an illegal fuel vendor on
the streets, he would sometimes go for days without the commodity due to lack
of capital.
He said he tried several times to formalise the business
without success until the coming in of the New Dispensation whose Vision 2030
entails empowering indigenous businesses through the devolution agenda which is
one of the key policies put across towards achieving an upper middle-income
economy.
Allied Petroleum finally became a legal entity in 2019.
Mr Tapfuma Chikutu delivers his speech while Matabeleland
North Minister of State Richard Moyo follows proceedings
“We started in 2015 and it was not yet a registered
company. We had a plastic 5-litre container selling on the streets to
mshikashikas. From 2015 we were trying to penetrate this industry but we
finally got our breakthrough in 2019 under the New Dispensation and we finally
opened our first outlet in Fairbridge, Bulawayo,” he said.
“We are in line with indigenisation policies being brought
by the Second Republic, something which we really appreciate because it
empowers us not only to depend on foreign petroleum companies but it’s a chance
for us the locals here and youth of Zimbabwe to invest and venture into this
business. We now have got six outlets and we have other sites still under
construction and will be opening soon.”
Six years after starting as a vendor and two years after
officially opening the first branch as a registered company, Allied Petroleum
now has three fuel container trucks.
One has a capacity of 20 000 litres and two others are 44
000 litre containers.
The company also employs 58 people across the six outlets.
Mr Chikutu said his vision is to have an outlet in every
part of the country by 2023.
“This is a family business run by me and my wife. We were
born in this part of the country, so charity begins at home. We thought the
best is to start by opening branches in this part of Matabeleland and expand
going to other parts of the country. Our vision is that by 2023 as you go into
any city in Zimbabwe, you will see the face of Allied Petroleum.
“From day one, we have never run out of fuel, we have to do
the same in Hwange. We took it upon ourselves to import fuel and help
Government to ensure there is enough sustainable supply and we thank the
regulatory authority for providing a conducive environment,” he said.
Allied Petroleum’s motto is: “We never run out.”
DFI group president Ms Noma Dube said it is because of
policies put by Government in the Second Republic that many companies can still
operate during the Covid-19 pandemic guided by President Mnangagwa’s “Zimbabwe
is open for business” mantra.
Minister Moyo said the Second Republic ably led by
President Mnangagwa has created a favourable business environment in Zimbabwe
and policies that support business start-ups with capital through loan
facilities are also in place.
He said the Government wishes all youth to start their own
businesses than to go around looking for jobs.
“It is because of policies put in place by the New
Dispensation that most companies are still operating and expanding despite the
Covid-19 pandemic. This is largely guided by President Mnangagwa’s mantra that
Zimbabwe is open for business, which enables companies like Allied Petroleum to
use their free funds to import fuel for resale in Zimbabwe,” said the minister.
He implored businesses to prioritise locals on employment.
“We are grateful that companies are finding it worthwhile
to invest in Matabeleland North and when such businesses are opening, we expect
locals to be given preference in jobs.
The National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) encourages
investment and improvement in key infrastructure areas such as energy and I
urge Allied management to employ locals in the district in order to uplift
livelihoods of the communities in line with the devolution agenda and Vision
2030,” said Minister Moyo. Chronicle
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