Zinara figures show it is collecting a paltry $5 million every year from about 300 000 vehicles, instead of $40 million from over 700 000 vehicles registered with the Central Vehicle Registry.
Some motorists fail to buy their license and drive anyway, while others use counterfeit license disks printed on domestic computers to evade police road blocks.
To tighten loopholes, the authority is planning to introduce a new computer system to ensure vehicles have legal CVR licenses.
Zinara chief executive Frank Chitukutuku said: “Zinara intends to close any loopholes so that all revenue is accounted for. The money which we are losing and hoping to account for through the new system will be used to improve the country’s roads to world class standards as well as construct new roads in remote areas.”
Chitukutuku said the programme should be fully operational by September and would see a database of all motorists maintained at Zimpost – the official distributor of vehicle license discs.
In May this year, the government signed a $206 million deal with the Development Bank of Southern Africa for the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Plumtree-Mutare highway.
The 800km rehabilitation project spans Plumtree, Bulawayo, Gweru, Kwekwe, Kadoma, Harare and Rusape up to Mutare.
Post published in: Business