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The local authority has indicated that it would go on until all the tickets have been cleared.
It also warned that cyclists who did not have valid licence discs would soon be covered in the exercise.
Scores of motorists had their vehicles clamped as they drove into the city centre on Friday when the exercise was launched.
Angry motorists said council’s security crews had a list of offences individual motorists were supposed to pay for and would only release the vehicles after full payment.
The motorists said those who had no money had their vehicles towed to the local authority’s premises along 12th Avenue, where a daily storage fee of $20 and towing expenses of up to $65 are charged.
Tickets for traffic offences in the city range from $4 to $36.
Commuter omnibus drivers were the hardest hit as a number of them had numerous tickets for picking and dropping passengers at undesignated points.
“Council is being unfair. They should have issued me with tickets when I committed the said crimes, instead of confronting me during the peak hour. The only proof they have is a computer database, which can be rigged,” said a kombi driver who often loads passengers at an illegal spot along 6th Avenue.
He had outstanding tickets amounting to $85.
“I have to call my employer to bring the money because my vehicle has been clamped. They said if I do not pay within the next two hours, it would be towed away,” said the driver.
A private motorist also complained about the council procedure.
“I was rushing to work along 3rd Avenue in the morning when I saw the council guys standing with police officers. They stopped me and told me I had outstanding tickets for failing to display a valid parking disc in the city centre. They also told me of four instances in which my vehicle was double parked at different points in the city last month,” said the motorist.
He said he owed $40, which he was told to pay at the Revenue Hall before his vehicle could be released.
“I am angry that I had to suspend everything I was doing and had to hire a cab to go and pay, so as to avoid incurring further charges,” said the motorist.
Contacted for comment, the city’s senior public relations officer, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu said council had started working with the police to enforce Statutory Instrument 231 of 2006, Bulawayo, clamping and towing away by-laws.
“The exercise started on Friday and will continue until all the offenders have been brought to book. The city council will be working with the Zimbabwe Republic Police and will be making use of their traffic stations. It will also be assisting ZRP account for their wanted offenders as well,” said Mrs Mpofu.
She said council had issued a total of 18 739 tickets which have not been paid for.
“It should be noted that this is not a money collecting exercise but council is trying to ensure that residents observe and abide by the by-laws of the municipality. Outstanding tickets are worth more than $100 000,” she said.
Mrs Mpofu said the local authority was clamping and towing away as well as impounding all classes of vehicles with outstanding fines.
She said the exercise was part of the city’s transport policy also aimed at eliminating dangers associated with the boarding of unregistered vehicles at undesignated points.
“Such vehicles are often uninsured and passengers cannot be compensated in case of accidents. They also cannot be compensated when they get robbed or kidnapped by operators of such vehicles, who in turn run the risk of being robbed by passengers,” she said.
She encouraged motorists who have been ticketed to visit the Revenue Hall and pay all their overdue and outstanding fines.
“They can also call on (09) 75011 ext 2169/70 or call in person at Office 416, Tower Block, to find out about their outstanding tickets to avoid inconveniences. The council encourages residents to adhere to bylaws and board registered vehicles from designated points,” said Mrs Mpofu.
Council’s chairperson of the environmental management and engineering services committee, which is also in charge of traffic in the city, Councillor Martin K Moyo of Ward 3, said the exercise has been necessitated by the unwillingness of motorists to pay for traffic tickets.
“Before vehicle licensing was removed from local authorities, motorists were forced to clear outstanding tickets before they could get new licence discs. Now that they pay at Zimpost, they have started neglecting paying for the tickets. This was the only way the money could be recovered and sanity brought to the city’s roads,” said Clr Moyo in reference to the blitz.
Online Reporter