Motorists driven crazy by new licence requirements
Motorists in Zimbabwe will now start paying for a service they are either not getting or not using at all.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa this week signed into law a measure compelling motorists to buy a radio licence before they can renew their vehicle licences.
The sad part is that though many motorists, (myself included) will buy the licence, they will not utilize the radio because the signal is very poor.
For motorists using vehicles imported from Japan, their radios don’t even receive local stations, yet they will still have to buy the licence. And with the advent of social media, very few if any people now rely on the radio for news.
But the government of the day is not the least bit bothered by all these factors; what they want is money from people and money is what they will get.
The radio licences have been pegged at US$30 (P400) per quarter or US$120 (P1,600) per annum.
And according to Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA), at least 800,000 vehicles renew their licences annually, meaning the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) will rake in around US$96 million from motorists every year.
The new law has drawn criticism from many considering the poor service from ZBC which has long been considered a mouthpiece of the ruling ZanuPF.
Writing on X, well-known opposition figure, Fadzayi Mahere, asked government spokesperson, Nick Mangwana, “Why must ZBC be paid a cent in license fees by the public when it is so incompetent, archaic, boring, partisan, shameless, dishonest, gaslighting and all round awful.”
Responding on the same platform, Mangwana replied, “So that it will modernize and stop being boring and archaic.”
At least he acknowledges it is boring! Judging from experience, it will remain so despite its new-found income as the money will surely be diverted, just like they do with other revenues.
Meanwhile, the succession debate rages on amid talk doing rounds that President Mnangagwa wants to be succeeded by his ally and business tycoon, Kudakwashe Tagwirei instead of Vice President, Constantino Chiwenga.
68-year-old Chiwenga, who was then the army general, played a key role in the 2017 coup which led to the downfall of the late former leader, Robert Mugabe and the subsequent rise of President Mnangagwa.
When he left the army after his appointment as the VP, he was seen as the likely successor but that changed in recent times as the two allegedly no longer see eye to eye.
Apparently Chiwenga is irked by Mnangagwa’s failure to turn around the country’s economy, corruption and looting tendencies hence now being sidelined as the likely next President.
Anyway, we will continue to watch the space as there are surely interesting days ahead.
In other news, the men’s national cricket team fell to a heavy defeat against the English in a Test match played in Nottingham. Although I’m no cricket lover, The Voice’s sexy sub-editor reliably informs me the result was expected. Either way, it was heartening to see so many Zimbos in the crowd cheering on the Chevrons, who were playing a Test in England for the first time in 22 years, with such passion. Apparently a Test Match can last up to five days, and can still end in a draw – that’s just too much cricket for me!
