Slash $57 penalty on clamped cars: Mayor Clr Manyenyeni

Melissa Makoto Herald Reporter
Harare Mayor Councillor Bernard Manyenyeni has urged City Parking management to review downwards the $57 penalty being charged on motorists to have their vehicles unclamped.

Speaking at a ceremony to officially open parkade elevators at the corner of Julius Nyerere Way and Jason Moyo Avenue yesterday, Clr Manyenyeni said residents were complaining that the $57 they have to pay to have their cars unclamped was on the higher side hence the need to review it.

“By remarking about that, I am challenging management to work around a review of that figure. It must be worked around together with understanding and perception that the central business district (CBD) is congested in terms of motor vehicles and it must be de-congested,” he said.

“One of the ways to de-congest it is to make it progressively unattractive to park in the city centre, pushing 500 metres away, one kilometre away so that you park at cheaper sites away from the city centre.”

Clr Manyenyeni however, downplayed residents concerns over the use of parking revenue saying the expectations by the residents were exaggerated.

“Parking bays are supposed to be 6 000, the State has taken 1 200 for crucial use. Allow me to say the figures around parking revenue continue to excite residents and continue to invite questions,” he said

“They are excited about what they consider to be a heavy parking fees and where that money goes to. We have a duty to answer that, the first thing to indicate is that our parking revenue have gone up from under $20 000 a day to $25 000 a day.”

He said the figure will roughly add to about half a million a month.

He said the figures should be known to everyone who will be interested in the City Parking revenue.

“There is an overrated expectation about our parking revenue, so we are talking about half a million dollars a month compared to $12-30 million in total. Our residents need to know and understand the relationship of the two figures.”

He said they will try by all means to de-congest the city by making it progressively unattractive to park in.

Business Committee chairperson Councillor Peter Moyo said the decision to cut the penalty will be taken to council.

“We will consider the call by Mayor Manyenyeni in my committee,” he said.

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