Herald Reporter
GOVERNMENT is set to introduce a comprehensive legislative overhaul of Zimbabwe’s road traffic management system, including the creation of a single unified regulatory authority and a raft of new regulations aimed at curbing road carnage, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona has said.
In a statement, Minister Mhona said the proposed Road Transport Management Authority (RTMA) would consolidate four fragmented institutions — the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID), Central Vehicle Registration (CVR), Road Motor Transportation (RMT) and the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) — into one corporate entity with regulatory and enforcement powers.
“The proposed legislation aims to drastically reduce traffic fatalities, eliminate institutional inefficiencies, curb massive revenue leakages, and modernise public transport and infrastructure management across the country,” Minister Mhona said.
He said the consolidation would eradicate institutional silos, eliminate systemic corruption, and establish a one-stop shop that would enable instant electronic validation of vehicle roadworthiness and driver profiles, thereby reducing roadblocks, transit delays and border bottlenecks for commercial transporters.
Minister Mhona also revealed that the Road Accident Fund Bill, which seeks to establish a post-crash management system, has been drafted and consulted on in all 10 provinces and is currently undergoing Cabinet processes.
He said a second Ministerial peer review, which must include the Ministry of Health and Child Care, remains outstanding and expressed hope it would be convened soon.
On new legislation, Minister Mhona said his ministry is working on regulations to govern driving hours for public service vehicles, a prohibition on the use of communication devices while driving, a driver penalty point demerit system, Good Samaritan protection regulations, amended driving school regulations and e-hailing regulations.
He acknowledged that enforcement of existing laws remains a challenge, particularly Statutory Instrument 118 of 2023 on speed limiting and monitoring devices.
The Minister cited Statutory Instrument 10 of 2025, which set a minimum age of 30 years and five years’ driving experience for public passenger vehicle drivers, noting that drivers aged between 25 and 30 who were already licensed before the publication of the instrument were allowed to continue.
On infrastructure, the Minister said the Beitbridge-Masvingo-Harare road is 95 percent complete, the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road has reached 73 kilometres, and the Mabvuku Interchange stands at 81 per cent completion.
He said 20 more interchanges are at the planning stage and will commence in 2027, while the Harare-Chirundu road is set to start this quarter and 25 kilometres of the Kwekwe-Nkayi-Lupane road will be completed by December 31, 2026.
Minister Mhona said they had empowered the VID with 18 smart operational vehicles equipped with advanced brake roller testers, procured 100 breathalysers for the Zimbabwe Republic Police through the TSCZ, rehabilitated 23 weighbridges with 18 more under procurement, and launched a National Speed Monitoring System to track public service vehicles.
He also commended the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage for launching the Smart Electronic Traffic Management System in urban centres, which he said is reducing cases of driving in unauthorised lanes, running red lights, and operating unregistered and uninsured vehicles.
The Minister urged stakeholders to support the legislative initiatives, which he said were pronounced by President Mnangagwa during the State of the Nation Address and the Fourth Session of the 10th Parliament.
“In most cases, the deaths and injuries associated with road traffic crashes are attributable to drivers. This obviously is a major concern, but on the other hand, it gives hope that as a country we can in fact reduce carnage on our roads if only the drivers can change their attitude and behave responsibly behind the steering wheel.”
Minister Mhona urged drivers to stay within speed limits, refrain from using mobile phones while on the wheel, avoid street racing and overtaking in unsafe situations.
“I urge drivers to have the preservation of human life at heart every time they switch on their engines,” he said.
