Surprised by the increase in the price of a litre of diesel, which since the early hours of this Friday has risen to 400 kwanzas, compared to the previous 300 kwanzas, the inhabitants of Luanda foresee worse days ahead, with the main products and services becoming more expensive.
In the rounds carried out this Friday by Lusa, at the main stops and petrol stations in the capital, motorists, taxi drivers, motorbike taxi drivers and street vendors, for the most part, disapproved of the measure and criticised the government's policies.
"This is a robbery of our pockets (...) [this decision] needed to be announced and the sooner the better, it can't happen all of a sudden, imagine how many people we have with diesel taxis", complained Bernardo Cassoma.
Speaking to Lusa, while filling up his car at the Sonangalp gas station on Avenida Comandante Gika, in the centre of Luanda, Cassoma, who has been providing a personalised taxi service for five years, said that the increase in fuel prices will "kill" citizens.
"They just recently increased school fees and before I could think about it, another one is already going to come! What are they doing to us? They want to kill us, that's all I have to say", he said, foreseeing more difficulties in providing "bread" for his family.
Faustino Lopes, a 50-year-old motorist, described the new price of a litre of diesel as a measure that will worsen the already difficult living conditions of Angolans, fearing that taxi fares will double.
He therefore considered that difficult days are ahead for Angolans, especially those who depend on private taxis to travel from home to work and vice versa.
"We ask our leaders to also look at the situation the people are living in and what the conditions are like, because we are not being helped at all and with this increase day after day. It is really complicated", Bernardo Cassoma also lamented.
On board his motorbike, Orlando Morais, a motorcycle taxi driver, expressed surprise at the new fuel tariff and argued that the decision should have been preceded by concerted actions with taxi and motorcycle taxi drivers, aiming to prevent protests.
"This situation could lead to demonstrations, because things are going up overnight, the fuel price goes up and, then, it is very complicated", he said.
On Avenida Deolinda Rodrigues, in front of the Atlético gas station, managed by Sonangol, we met Marlene Salvador da Silva, a street vendor selling coffee who foresees "worse days", especially because of the taxi fare that she believes will increase.
With a thermos in her hand and dressed in a kitchen coat, where she displayed the products she sells, especially to motorists and passers-by, Marlene fears that her daily transport costs will double, considering that she is facing a "complicated" situation.
"Where are we going to end up, this is complicated! To come and sell I spent 800 kwanzas [on a taxi], now how much am I going to pay? This is bad, how are we going to live?", asked the 32-year-old saleswoman.
Miguel Agostinho, 43, at the wheel of his "blue and white", as the private taxi service vehicles are known, also told Lusa that he was surprised by the increase in the price of a litre of diesel and criticized the government.
"Look, to be honest, I didn't even know about this [the increase in fuel prices], I believe that this is a country that is being poorly governed, because people don't believe that things change overnight, you go to sleep and when you wake up you're scared, something has suddenly happened", he said.
Having been on the road for almost five years, Miguel says that taxi journeys are likely to increase because, he explained, from now on he will spend 8000 kwanzas a day to fill up the vehicle, compared to the previous 6000 kwanzas.
