ZINARA targets 1 million vehicle licenses in 2025

Oscar J Jeke- Zim Now Reporter

The Zimbabwe National Road Administration is targeting the licensing of one million vehicles in 2025, up from 827,000 in 2024, as it ramps up efforts to improve compliance and boost revenue for road infrastructure development.

Speaking at a workshop in Harare on Wednesday, ZINARA Tolling Manager Tendai Matanhire highlighted several key strategies aimed at achieving this target.

These include expanding blitz operations with more roadside enforcement campaigns to ensure vehicle owners comply with licensing regulations, strengthening partnerships with law enforcement agencies to curb non-compliance, and launching an online licensing platform to simplify the process, making it more accessible and efficient for motorists.

To further encourage compliance, ZINARA has increased licensing agents’ commissions to 4%. Additionally, the authority has introduced 24-hour licensing services at tollgates, allowing motorists to obtain full license discs at any time.

ZINARA’s financial performance for the year ending December 31, 2024, showed robust results. According to its actual disbursement schedule, ZINARA achieved a 155% utilization rate of its total budget for road authorities, disbursing ZWL$146.8 billion against a budget of ZWL$94.6 billion. Harare Metropolitan Province received ZWL$57.4 billion, achieving a 94% utilization rate. Manicaland Province fully utilized its allocation of ZWL$26.2 billion, while Midlands Province used ZWL$39.3 billion of its ZWL$44.9 billion allocation, an 88% utilization rate.

Revenue contributions from licensing agents also rose significantly. Acting Vehicle Licensing officials reported that agent contributions increased from 60% in previous years to 62% in 2024, and further to 64% by February 2025.

However, compliance remains an ongoing challenge. Of Zimbabwe’s estimated 1.7 million registered vehicles, only around 1.2 million are considered roadworthy and eligible for licensing.