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Municipal Reporter

The Central Vehicle Registry (CVR) has partnered Zimpost to facilitate that people collect number plates from the nearest post office as the Government moves to decentralise and clear the backlog.

Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development announced on social media that number plates can now be collected from four selected Zimpost offices in Harare, Chitungwiza and Bulawayo with more to follow as the programme is rolled out.

“The Ministry is pleased to inform motorists that number plates are available and easily accessible at the following Zimpost offices Chitungwiza, Causeway, Southerton and Bulawayo Main,” reads the post on its Twitter account.

More sites will be availed in due course until the whole country has been catered for.”

The accelerated issuance of number plates will assist clearance of the backlog bringing relief to motorists, some of whom were going for months without proper metal number plates and having to rely on the temporary cardboard issues.

The backlog started with a shortage of plates, but efforts to get everyone to collect their plates were drawn out at the limited facilities at the CVR.

The return to proper availability of plates should reduce the number of people going about committing crimes using unregistered vehicles.

To curb such incidents, the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Zimbabwe National Road Administration are working together to eliminate vehicles without number plates with an estimated 80 000 vehicles requiring plates.

The CVR is on record saying the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development managed to provide US$2,1 million by June this year to buy the raw materials for the number plates, which started arriving a few months ago.

There were three batches, the first batch was airlifted by the Government to ease the shortage of number plates.

Number plates cost US$80 and it takes two to five days to secure them.