Govt Seriously Consider Putting Restrictions On Importing Ex-Japanese Vehicles
The government is seriously considering imposing restrictions on imported ex Japanese vehicles because they have turned the country into a dumping ground, the Chronicle reports.
This was revealed by the Transport Minister, Joel Biggie Matiza, who was speaking at the Africa Transport Policy Programme in Victoria Falls who urged the citizens to be patient and trust the government’s initiative of subsidised public transport.
Said the Minister:
There is an appetite to own cars which has seen a rise in importation of ex-Japanese cars. Time has come to legislate and monitor the number of years for each car before it is imported. There is really a need to look at the age of each car as most of them are grounded after two months because people can’t get spare parts.We can’t be a dumping ground for old cars and it’s something we have to work on with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce who are hands on on that.
We as Transport feel the carnage on the roads is partly because of these cars because they are very old, As for urban transport nobody can say they are not experiencing joy in terms of their pockets because of Zupco whose numbers are increasing and are always packed. It’s a process that we started recently and it has proven that it’s a model that works and needs some fine tuning and making sure we have more buses.
Zimbabwe is one of the countries that allow the importation of cars from Japan since they are affordable unlike the ones sold in most local dealerships.
More: The Chronicle
