Mpeshe Selebalo
MASERU — The pump price of both diesel and petrol went up by five lisente on Friday, the second such increase to hit motorists within two months.
The Lesotho Petroleum Fund said the increase was due to the strengthening of prices for crude oil on the international markets.
But in a reprieve for poor Basotho, the Petroleum Fund did not hike the price of illuminating paraffin which is used by most poor households in Lesotho.
Motorists in Zone One which includes Quthing town up to Mount Moorosi and Qacha`s Nek will fork out M7.10 for a litre of petrol, up from M7.05.
Those buying diesel will have to fork out M7.25 a litre.
In Mphaki, the price of petrol has been set at M7.16, up from M7.06, while that of diesel has been set at M7.31.
In Thaba-tseka, motorists will buy petrol for M7.19 and diesel for M7.34 while in Mokhotlong motorists will have to part with M7.28 for a litre of petrol and fork out M7.43 for a litre of diesel.
The latest increases come hardly a month after the Petroleum Fund hiked the price of petroleum products by between 10 and 30 lisente a litre on February 5.
The Fund also appealed to retailers to charge the correct prices, warning it would prosecute those who charged different prices from those announced by the Fund.
“The Petroleum Fund would want to appeal to all retailers to charge proper prices,” the Fund said in a statement.
“There have been tendencies in the past by some retailers to charge prices that are different from those set by the Fund.
“Any retailer who will be found in contravention of this shall be prosecuted accordingly.”
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