BY PROBLEM MASAU HARARE City Council (HCC) has scrapped towing fees for impounded vehicles that are driven by their owners to council’s storage depot, mayor Jacob Mafume announced yesterday.
Mafume also said owners of impounded vehicles were no longer asked to pay storage fees if they paid the fine on the same day.
“I understand that if you have driven your car to the Central Stores, that car is not towed, therefore, you cannot pay US$100 for driving your own car. If your car has not been held overnight, it cannot again pay the storage fee. We will also look into the quantum of our storage cost,” Mafume said.
“However, for traffic violations that are costing US$50 fine, we cannot at this point reduce that because the city can easily fall into chaos. Some of the behaviours of the minority of drivers are tantamount to stopping business in the city, causing danger to other motorists and pedestrians.”
There has been public outcry among motorists over the US$100 towing fees demanded by municipal police even when the vehicle was only impounded, but not towed.
Mafume revealed that buses under the Zupco franchise were not paying for using council’s bus terminals.
Meanwhile, council chamber secretary Warren Chiwawa has ordered the municipal police to wear uniforms to stop civilians masquerading as traffic police officers from fleecing the public.
