Zimbabwe moves closer to a driver penalty points system

By Staff Reporter

HARARE — Zimbabwe is moving closer to introducing a penalty-points system that could see repeat traffic offenders have their driving licences suspended or cancelled, as authorities strengthen road-safety enforcement through technology. The Central Vehicle Registry (CVR) says the proposed system will be integrated with the Government’s smart traffic management system, which uses cameras and other technology to detect traffic offences and improve enforcement.

Acting CVR registrar Saston Muzenda told Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructural Development that Zimbabwe had already professionalised its driver-licensing system and was now strengthening enforcement against motorists who repeatedly break traffic laws. Muzenda was responding to a petition by Drivers Association of Zimbabwe president Nicholas Mabwe, who has called for driving to be formally recognised and regulated as a profession.

Mabwe argued that some motorists lacked adequate road ethics and proposed that professional drivers should be required to have at least five O-Level passes. Muzenda rejected the suggestion that Zimbabwe’s existing licensing system was inadequate, saying drivers undergo rigorous testing before being issued with licences. “The process our drivers go through is internationally recognised and is one of the best in terms of practice,” Muzenda said.

He said Zimbabwean drivers were recognised within the region and internationally, while professional drivers faced additional legal requirements because of the nature of their work. The Government’s focus, he indicated, was therefore shifting towards monitoring driver behaviour after licences had been issued. Under the proposed penalty-points system, motorists who repeatedly commit offences would accumulate points and could ultimately have their licences suspended or cancelled.

The precise number of points that would trigger suspension or cancellation has not yet been announced, and the system is still being developed. Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona recently told Parliament that Government was conducting investigations to establish the legal framework for a formal demerit system. The proposed penalties are expected to work alongside the smart traffic management system, which uses cameras to identify traffic violations.

Zimbabwe’s home-grown smart traffic system is designed to integrate information from databases including the CVR, ZINARA and the Civil Registry. Government documents say the system can detect offences such as speeding, running red lights, illegal parking, wrong-way driving, improper lane changes and failure to wear seat belts.

The technology is intended to provide authorities with a more consistent way of identifying traffic offences and linking them to vehicles and their owners. Muzenda also said the Government was working to make the learner’s licence test more accessible, while maintaining competency testing as the basis for issuing driving licences. The debate over driver qualifications follows increasing concern about road safety and the conduct of some motorists, particularly in the public transport sector.

Mabwe’s petition seeks a broader professional framework for drivers, including stronger regulation, training and accountability. However, the proposed requirement for five O-Level passes is not currently a requirement for obtaining a professional driving licence. Parliament is considering the petition, meaning any change to the entry requirements would require further policy and legislative action. Muzenda also said Zimbabwe had complied with the Transport and Transit Facilitation Programme, which seeks to harmonise transport policies, laws and standards across SADC, COMESA and the East African Community.

He said Zimbabwe had adopted the necessary legal instruments to support a regional driver trade-free area, allowing Zimbabwean drivers to be recognised across participating regional markets. The CVR’s position effectively shifts the current debate away from academic qualifications and towards competency, enforcement and driver behaviour. For motorists, the immediate change is therefore not a new educational requirement, but the prospect of greater technological monitoring and tougher consequences for repeat traffic offenders.

If the proposed penalty-points framework is enacted, drivers who repeatedly disregard road rules could face progressively more serious sanctions, including losing their licences. The Government has yet to publish the final legislation, offence-by-offence points schedule or threshold at which a licence would be suspended or cancelled.

Zimbabwe driver penalty points