adminFarai Kuvirimirwa and Vitalis Kavele Herald Reporters
Motorists in Harare have expressed outrage over parking fees being charged by EasiPark and City Parking in the Central Business District.
They are complaining against the US$1 charged per hour on every vehicle by EasiPark and City Parking in downtown and uptown Harare.
Mr Alfonse Panganai said he has now resorted to using public transport because the money charged was exorbitant.
“I used to park along Nelson Mandela Avenue everyday when I came to work but I cannot afford what they require us to pay. The US$1 which they charge for parking per hour is too much, taking into cognisance that I have to fork out more than US$180 every month,” he said.
Mr Panganai appealed to council to consider charging parking fees in accordance to zones.
“It would be better that the City Council structure the town into different zones with the central zone possibly paying more and the fee lowering as we cascade down the zones. We also pay downtown and the receipt given us within the same hour is not accepted uptown by Easipark.
“I think this is merely a fundraising venture which does not assist us, considering the state of our roads,” he said. Another motorist, Mr Elson Gumbo from Hatfield, indicated that the money charged is exorbitant as one parks for eight working hours.
“I find it difficult to park in the City Centre where I fork out a dollar just for an hour,” he said. A taxi operator who requested anonymity lamented at the high parking costs which he said was way above the US$35 taxi operators pay per term.
“The problem in our country is that we don’t transact using the real dollar value because an average person works for US$5 per day yet he is made to pay US$8 for parking per day.”
He urged Government to intervene so as to address their plight as they did for other utility bills. City Parking customer care officer Mr Francis Mandaza said a meeting was recently conducted to address the standoff between his organisation and EasiPark.
“Even the traffic enforcement officers will not arrest a motorist with an EasiPark ticket in an area under the jurisdiction of City Parking.
“There is no reason to place boundaries for motorists if one has already paid,” he said.
EasiPark administration and finance manager Dr Gadzamoyo Dewah said they are going to hold another meeting with City Parking to resolve the complaints from motorists.
“We are in the process of synchronising the receipts issued from different areas so that they can work anywhere. We will meet on Wednesday and that is when I will furnish you with more information.
“We cannot lower the amount charged because there is a policy which stipulates that and it involves other senior authorities,” said Dr Dewah. Hardly a day goes by without an altercation between parking officers and motorists, as the drivers cry foul over what they view as exorbitant parking fees being charged by the council.
There are stiff penalties for motorists that defy the parking law, as their vehicles are clamped instantly and have to pay a US$57 spot fine to have the clamps removed.
Failure to pay that amount attracts a penalty of US$169 to retrieve the vehicle from the City Council’s storage centre where each vehicle is also charged overnight storage fees of US$11.
A snap survey carried out by The Herald showed that although the parking meter system is common in other Southern African countries, the fees in Harare could rank among the highest in the region.
In South Africa, Swaziland and Namibia, it costs between R2 and R5 per hour to park in the major streets in the central business district.
Online Reporter