A parliamentary committee has revealed that Zimbabwe is losing an estimated $24 million annually due to approximately 200,000 vehicles failing to pay their vehicle licenses and tollgate fees.
Knowledge Kaitano, the chairman of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructural Development, suggested that upgrading the current tollgate system to toll plazas could help stop this revenue leakage.
These recommendations were shared during a pre-national budget seminar held in Bulawayo. Kaitano explained that the lack of a unified motor vehicle database, which would connect the Central Vehicle Registry (CVR), ZIMRA, ZINARA, the Police, and the Insurance Council of Zimbabwe, has allowed around 200,000 vehicles to evade payments for licenses and tolls, resulting in a loss of $24 million each year. Kaitano added that this amount could fund the drilling of 7,000 boreholes annually, or 35,000 by 2030.
He emphasized that the implementation of toll plazas, a concept first proposed in 2019, is now critical. Kaitano further stated that the technology behind the toll systems could be upgraded to include features such as vehicle identification (VID) certification, road permits, number plate verification, and third-party insurance checks. This, he argued, would not only increase revenue but also reduce road accidents.
According to Kaitano, ZINARA (Zimbabwe National Roads Administration) has the funds to build the toll plazas, and there is a need to expand the network, especially along high-traffic routes like the Harare-Masvingo and Bulawayo-Victoria Falls roads.
Moses Juma, acting CEO of ZINARA, recently confirmed that the agency plans to complete the construction of nine toll plazas along the Plumtree-Mutare highway by the end of the year. Five of these plazas are already operational, and the remaining four are expected to be finished within the same period. ZINARA anticipates collecting around $100 million from these tolls this year.
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