City Parking Fines Grossly Unreasonable - Muguti

The Secretary of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Harare Metropolitan Province, Mr Tafadzwa Muguti has said City Parking fines are grossly unreasonable.

In a statement seen by Pindula News, Muguti urged Harare City Council (HCC) to engage members of the public prior to such resolutions being passed by councillors. Reads the statement:

PRESS STATEMENT PUBLIC OUTCRY OF CITY PARKING FINES AND MISCONDUCT 10 MARCH 2023

The Secretary of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Harare Metropolitan Province, Mr. Tafadzwa Muguti met with the City of Harare Management, the City Parking Management and the Zimbabwe Republic Police on Thursday the 9th of March 2022. The meeting called by the Secretary followed the public outcry on the exorbitant parking fines and unruly behaviour by City Parking officials that has led to violent clashes with motorists. As Harare Metropolitan Province we have directed both City of Harare and City Parking to immediately seize the unprofessional manner in which the City Parking officials were now operating.

Whilst we encourage all local authorities to collect revenues from enforcement of by-laws, there has to be a human face to this practice. This includes taking into consideration the current state of the economy and that globally all economies are trying to recover post-Covid-19, Zimbabwe included. The recent fines charged by the City of Harare include;

– US$132 for late parking

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– US$100 for towing of your vehicles

– US$20 for administration fee

As Government we find these fines to be grossly unreasonable and are not people centred. There has to be engagement between the City Council and residents especially motorists prior to such resolutions being passed by councillors. Local governance requires that council resolutions passed by councillors reflect the ambitions, desires and expectations of the residents. So the parking fees reviewed upwards should have been as a results of public consultations between councillors and the residents in the respective jurisdictions.

The failure by the City of Harare to urgently address the public outcry by residents has led the Secretary of State to request that the Minister of Local Government and Public Works. Hon. J.G. Moyo under the Urban Councils Act urgently Intervenes in this matter. An investigation team has been established by the Hon. Minister and shall look into the City Parking affairs mainly covering:

– The Shareholding of City parking

– The Financial Management of City Parking revenues

– The Allegations of Corruption and misconduct by City Parking Officials

– The Parking Fees Resolution Justification by Councillors

– The Use of money collected from City Parking by the City of Harare.

We encourage all motorists to pay for the parking in order to avoid enforcement but not to pay bribes to City Parking officials. All acts of misconduct and corruption should be reported to the nearest ZRP Police Station. lastly, the City of Harare should ensure that parking bays are clearly marked, clean and all storm drains cleared. We expect only the best service delivery standards from the City of Harare to its residents. Please stand guided accordingly.

Office of the Secretary of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Harare Metropolitan Province Office of the President and Cabinet

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