THE Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) is losing thousands of dollars in potential revenue daily through illegal tollgates and by-pass roads at the three toll plazas in the province, The Manica Post can reveal.
Investigations conducted by this publication revealed that individuals like Mr Padhina Dzumbira, who has had several brushes with the law for operating illegal tollgates, are now living large from the proceeds of the illegal activities.
Mr Dzumbira has been operating an illegal tollgate at the 22 Mile Toll Plaza along the Mutare-Chimanimani Road for years now and has a pending extortion case before the courts.
Some of the culprits have built and electrified their houses from the illegal activity. Law enforcement agents are reported to be part of the scam as some of them man these unsanctioned tollgates at night, collecting various amounts from motorists by-passing the tollgates.
Both the police and road authorities confirmed the presence of illegal tollgates and by-pass roads and said some of the operators were unrepentant despite being brought to book on several occasions.
At 22 Miles, the by-pass road is a stone’s throw from the tollgate manned 24 hours by heavily armed police offices, while at the Magamba and Rusape tollgates, by-pass roads have been developed and are now popular with pirate vehicles, popularly known as mushikashika.
The by-pass roads pass through nearby farms. Some motorists, especially haulage truck drivers, opt to circumvent the Magamba Toll Plaza by using the Grange Road that passes through Old Mutare Mission before getting back onto the Mutare-Harare Highway near Odzi River.
A visit to the 22 Miles Toll Plaza last Saturday revealed that the by-pass road was well maintained. Operators of the illegal tollgate have even erected a boom gate and a vending stall where they sell various wares to the commuting public as they await their turn to be served. So busy is the illegal tollgate that hardly five minutes pass by without a vehicle passing through.
While Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube announced in his 2021 National Budget Statement that light motor vehicles were supposed to pay toll fees of US$2, minibuses (US$3), buses (US$4), heavy trucks (US$5) and haulage trucks (US$10) or the equivalent at the prevailing interbank rate, motorists pay whatever they want at the 22 Miles Toll Plaza, even as little as $10.
Last year, the Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Infrastructure Development came face-to-face with the rot at the 22 Miles Toll Plaza and received an ear-bashing from Mr Dzumbira who told them that no one could stop him from collecting the money as the illegal tollgate was in his field.- Manica Post
