MOTORISTS HIT WITH HIGH STORAGE FEES

Motorists are being given 30 days to pay their debts in Bulawayo or risk their cars being auctioned.

The council is hitting motorists with high storage fees, leaving some facing charges that exceed the value of their vehicles.

Sunday News reports that certain cars now carry accumulated fees of as high as US$38  000, causing significant financial strain for the affected individuals, which can be further worsened as the local authority will soon get rid of hourly charges, which will see vehicle owners pay a figure of US$100 a day.

The US$100 will be chargeable the minute the car is booked in the council storage facilities. Motorists will now also be given 30 days to clear their debts or risk having their cars auctioned.

According to the latest council report, the Bulawayo City Council is reportedly charging US$120 per day for storage fees for impounded vehicles. This has resulted in staggering accumulations, with one vehicle owner facing a bill of over US$38 000.

The City of Bulawayo Clamping and Tow Away by-laws were revised in 2023 under Statutory Instrument 220 of 2023.

The new by-law outlines offences plus their levels and prescribes penalties, charges for various offences and storage fees for the impounded vehicles. Motorists in the city are already up in arms with the local authority’s parking management system partners, Tendy Three Investments (TTI), who have been tasked with implementing this by-law.

Recently, the local authority directed that TTI will now be enforcing traffic regulations in the city 24 hours a day.

According to the by-law some of the offences that will result in vehicles in the city’s Central Business District clamped 24 hours a day include washing and repairing of vehicles on the road, loading of passengers at non-designated places, parking or stopping of motor vehicles causing danger and obstruction and operating illegal overnight car parks.

Vehicles that obstruct traffic will reportedly be immediately towed away. The prescribed charges for a small vehicle are a US$5 hourly charge, US$120 daily charge and the weekly charge is pegged at US$600, medium cars (eight or more passengers), one-tonne pick-up trucks, kombis, minibuses up to five-tonne trucks, the hourly charge is pegged at US$15, daily charge, US$360 and weekly charge is US$1 800.

Heavy vehicles and buses according to the by-law are required to pay hourly charges of US$30, daily charges of US$720 and the weekly charge is US$3 600.

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