Chronicle Editor
Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, [email protected]
NEWLY gazetted toll fees come into effect today in line with the 2024 National Budget statement presented by Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube.
“Proposed toll fees will come into effect on January 5 and will see light motor vehicles paying US$4 up from US$2 on all premium routes whereas minibuses will pay US$6 up from US$3.
“Heavy vehicles will be paying US$5, haulage trucks US$20, which went up from US$5 and US$10,” read a notice from the Zimbabwe National Road Authority (Zinara).
In local dollar terms, light motor vehicles will pay $24 800, minibuses $37,200 while heavy vehicles will pay $ 49 600.
In his 2024 budget presentation, Prof Ncube initially proposed a 100 percent upward review of toll fees on premium roads, that is, Harare-Beitbridge and Plumtree-Mutare and other roads, with effect from January 1, 2024.
He further proposed an increase in passport fees from the current US$120 to US$200, saying that additional revenue generated from the measures would be ring-fenced towards road infrastructure development.
However, following public outcry and a debate in Parliament, the proposed toll fees were reduced by 50 percent. In terms of passports, the fee was raised from US$120 to US$150 for ordinary passports.
The country’s road network has deteriorated over the year and the situation was exacerbated by local authorities’ failure to maintain the roads.
Noting this continued rot in road infrastructure, President Mnangagwa in February 2021 declared the country’s road network a State of Disaster as most of the roads had become untrafficable.
Pursuant to that, the Government set aside $336 billion for the Second Phase of the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP2) and US$400 million was set aside for the first phase.
These efforts have also seen the rehabilitation of the premium routes whose toll fees have been reviewed. Motorists had mixed feelings over the review with some saying that the money generated from toll fees has not yet fully benefited members of the public.
“We welcome the move to review the fees with broken hearts because they are out of reach for ordinary citizens although we know that could be the way out to save our roads. We appreciate the work that has been done on our highways, our local roads keep deteriorating and we hope that Zinara will allocate funds to fix roads in our residential areas as well so that we continue paying the high fees knowing we are going to benefit,” said Mr Arnold Mathema.
Online Reporter