Government scraps 17 year old levy after President’s directive to eliminate duplicate charges

Harare – Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister, Felix Mhona has announced the immediate removal of the Road Access Fee, ending a 17 year old levy that motorists have paid since 2009.

The fee was scrapped through Statutory Instrument 113 of 2026, gazetted on July 24, 2026, following a directive from President Emmerson Mnangagwa during the first Cabinet meeting of 2026.

“The Ministry has successfully rationalised all fees charged by the Central Vehicle Registry (CVR), Road Motor Transportation (RMT) and the Vehicle Inspectorate Department (VID), including the removal of regulatory requirements and permit charges that duplicated functions across agencies,” Mhona said in a statement.

The Road Access Fee was introduced in 2009 before Zimbabwe had a national road tolling system. With the subsequent rollout of ZINARA toll gates across the national road network, the levy became duplicative, effectively charging motorists twice for the same service.

“This duplication imposed unnecessary financial and administrative burdens on transport operators and the travelling public,” Mhona said.

The scrapping forms part of a broader national effort to eliminate excessive administrative costs, streamline regulatory processes, and strengthen Zimbabwe’s economic competitiveness by enhancing the ease of doing business.

The Minister urged all drivers, vehicle owners and transport operators to comply fully with road transport regulations and to take advantage of the revised, streamlined fee structure now in place.

“The Ministry remains firmly committed to creating a modern, efficient and business-friendly transport regulatory framework,” Mhona said.

The fee removal comes as Cabinet has been considering and approving reviews of fees charged by transport regulatory departments since last year, with particular emphasis on removing unjustifiable, duplicative or overlapping charges.