Zimbabwe motorists to pay more in toll fees

Hard-pressed motorists will have to dig deeper into their depleted pockets for toll fees, after Zinara announced yesterday that it was increasing the number of tollgates on the country's highways.

This comes as Parliament released a damning report in which it recommended that Zinara be stripped of its powers to collect motor vehicle licence fees with this function to be restored to local authorities.


In an e-mailed response to questions, Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) Public Relations Officer, Mr Augustine Moyo, said: "The Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) wishes to advice the motoring public that with effect from tomorrow (today), five new tollgates will be operationalised in terms of the Toll Road Act of 2015.
"These are located at Colleen Bawn along the Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road, Lothian (37 km before Masvingo) along Mutare-Masvingo Road, 17.5 km from Chivhu along the Chivhu-Nyazura Road, Triangle along Ngundu-Tanganda Road and Mufudzi along the Harare-Bindura-Mt Darwin Road".

The five are part of 10 new tollgates approved by Government in 2015.

The five outstanding tollgates will be erected at Honeyspruit along the Harare-Masvingo Road, outside Karoi along the Harare-Chirundu Highway, at Dewure along the Mutare-Masvingo Road, in Mwenezi on the Masvingo-Beitbridge Road and in Kazungula along the Victoria Falls-Kazungula Road. Zinara said tolling fees remain unchanged.

Light vehicle motorists pay $2 while minibuses and buses pay $3 and $4 respectively. Drivers of haulage trucks are required to pay $10 to pass through tollgates.

Zimbabwe already has 26 tollgates along major highways, situated between 15 to 20km from major cities and towns. Government introduced tollgates in 2009 and has to date collected about $360 million from them.

In another development, Zinara has offered motorists a 100 percent discount on all penalties for outstanding licence fees, valid until September 31 this year.

"The motoring public are advised to visit any Zinara office countrywide and take advantage of this promotion to regularise their vehicle licences before the end of the promotion," Mr Moyo said.

He said the discount is aimed at achieving compliance with regards to vehicle licensing.

"A number of vehicles are unlicensed and it is illegal to drive an uninsured and unlicensed vehicle on Zimbabwe's roads. All vehicles that are off the road for whatsoever reason must be exempted by Zinara," Mr Moyo said.