GOVERNMENT will next month establish five new tollgates on
major highways as part of efforts to generate more revenue for roads
infrastructure development.
The five are part of 10 new tollgates approved by
Government in 2015. These will be located at Magamba along the Chivhu-Nyazura
Road, Collen Bawn in Triangle, Mapfurudzi (Mt Darwin), Lothian (Roy Shops in
Masvingo) and Triangle.
Secretary for Transport and Infrastructure Development
Engineer George Mlilo said Government was finalising the attendant
administrative, operational and infrastructure issues.
“We are now working on connecting the tollgates to the main
system and this we will start doing (this) week,” he said.
“We are putting finishing touches such as lighting, rumble
strips; and we expect the five tollgates to start operating mid-October . . .
The remaining five tollgates will be done according to Government directives as
some of the toll gates are on highways such as Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu,
therefore we will work on them as we go.”
The Sunday Mail understands that the five outstanding
tollgates will be erected at Honeyspruit along the Harare-Masvingo Road;
outside Karoi along the Harare-Chirundu Highway; at Dewure along the
Mutare-Masvingo Road; in Mwenezi on the Masvingo-Beitbridge Road; and in
Kazungula along the Victoria Falls-Kazungula Road.
Zimbabwe already has 26 tollgates along major highways,
situated between 15 to 20km from major cities and towns. Motorists of light
vehicles pay $2, while minibuses and buses pay $3 and $4 respectively, with
drivers of haulage trucks required to pay $10 to pass through tollgates.
Zimbabwe Institute of Rural and Urban Planners president Mr
Percy Toriro said Government should space tollgates in manner that did not
frustrate motorists.
“Although it is a noble idea because of the revenue that
they bring in, there is need for the tollgates to be spaced in a way that will
not burden and frustrate motorists at the end of the day,” he said.
Government introduced tollgates in 2009 and has to date
collected about $360 million from them. Sunday Mail
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