Siphakeme .Mnindwa
Freeman Razemba, Harare Bureau
MORE than 300 000 vehicles whose owners failed to renew their licences for a period of two years face de-registration.
Once a vehicle is de-registered, technically it becomes valueless as the owner would lose valid title to it.
To re-register the car, one has to pay outstanding arrears and penalties owed, including insurance, and get clearance from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) that the vehicle was legally imported into the country.
Further, the car has to be cleared by the Vehicle Theft Squad and the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) before it can ply the country’s roads again.
According to a Government Gazette published yesterday, vehicles that have been exempted for over two years also face de-registration, and the Registrar of Vehicles intends to cancel the registration of affected vehicles unless their owners regularise the vehicles within 30 days.
“It is hereby notified, in terms of Section 12(c) of the Vehicle Registration and Licensing Act [Chapter 13:14), that the Registrar of Vehicles intends to cancel the registration of vehicles not licensed and exempted for a period exceeding two years,” reads the Gazette.
The affected parties have since been notified to approach the Central Vehicle Registry (CRV) or the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) to pay outstanding fees for their vehicle licences.
“Affected parties are hereby notified to approach the Central Vehicle Registry to regularise their vehicles or the Zimbabwe National Road Administration to pay outstanding arrears on the licensing of their vehicles within 30 days from the date of publication of this notice.”
Government has since released the registration numbers of such vehicles, and most of them have not been licensed since 2013.
Recently, police launched a blitz against unregistered vehicles moving on the roads nationwide. Some of the vehicles were being used as getaway cars by armed robbers and other motorists such as pirate taxis or mushikashika, who wantonly violate road rules and regulations and cannot be traced.
In a statement, national police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said all vehicles must have licence plates.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police wishes to clarify that it is in the interests of motorists and road safety that all vehicles moving on the country’s roads be fitted with permanent registration plates.
Motorists should note that cars with no permanent registration numbers cannot be licensed or insured.
The Vehicle Registration and Licensing Act, Chapter 13:14 specifies that an acquired vehicle should have a change of ownership effected within two weeks and licensed thereof,” he said.
In September last year, more than 2,805 vehicles were impounded after police and other key stakeholders launched an operation targeting vehicles driven in breach of the law, including unregistered and unlicensed vehicles, pirate taxis and pirate kombis, and drivers committing traffic and parking offences as authorities step up efforts to ensure compliance with road laws.
Driving and parking offenders are also targeted under the special operation, particularly in urban centres where indiscipline has been rife in recent months. The operation also targeted vehicles whose import duty was underpaid.
Other stakeholders involved in the blitz aimed at ensuring that vehicle owners comply with the requirements of the law included the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe, Vehicle Inspectorate Department, the Insurance Council of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, and city and town councils.
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