Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona says sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the United States of America and other factors are to blame for the huge backlog of metal driver’s licence discs.
Speaking in an interview with NewsDay, Mhona said the government is failing to procure raw materials for the production of metal driver’s licence discs resulting in the Central Vehicle Registry (CVR) struggling to clear the backlog. He said:
CVR has made positive steps in clearing the backlog on driver’s licence discs. However, the pace is not as fast as we would want because of several challenges, some of which are beyond the scope of CVR in particular, and the ministry in general.
For a better context, the raw materials used in the manufacture of licence discs are imported, and because of sanctions, it has been hard to procure them from traditional suppliers in the USA [United States of America].
We import the special alumni photo plates, the film, developer and gold dye and seal materials. It has been difficult to get supplies in stock.
He said the other factor that has led to the backlog is that more and more people are taking driver’s licences. Said Mhona:
More and more people are taking driver’s licences as cars are also increasing on the roads.
The number of cars we have on our roads has increased drastically, especially with the advent of ex-Japan vehicles.
As it stands, there is only one plant or machine to make the licences in Zimbabwe and it has to absorb all applicants.
Mhona also attributed the shortage of discs to obsolete machinery used in the production process. He said:
Most of the work from VID to CVR remains manual and this takes time. As it stands, there is only one plant or machine to make the licence discs in Zimbabwe and it has to absorb all applicants.
The production line also uses a special type of typewriter, for example, Olivetti and Brothers, which have unique characters and letters that help to weed out counterfeits.
Working space has been greatly compromised due to huge volumes from VID and police driving schools which test thousands daily and all these applicants are forwarded to CVR.
Mhona said the greatest solution to the backlog is the automation of the whole process. | NewsDay
Inasmuch as sanctions have some effects, to some extent, this issue of blaming all failures on sanctions has become too much.
There's a problem with acquiring almost all documents in this country, and all the authorities do is blame sanctions.
Births now take more than a month to get.
IDs it's the same.
Passports at some point it was taking more than a year.
Drivers licenses, it's the same story as this one.
Nothing really works anymore.
Instead of blaming everything on sanctions, why not find other solutions, or other suppliers of the required raw materials?
I do not think that this is the Mhona that I have known for many years for being one of the sharp brains in ED's government. I never thought that you would one day blame sanctions which were created some thousands of km away from our Aluminium rich mines. The so called sanctions have imprisoned your brains kkkk, no one talks about sanctions when they buy the Maybach and Cherokees. You should be wearing local clothes because of sanctions. Ibvaipo tipinde isu muone kuti sanction rine basa rei. Mhona you have let us down. You deserve to be fired. After getting half a million dollars, you still have the audacity to talk about sanctions? Return the 500 000 because our country is under sanctions. Christmas kkk hangover usatambe nemweya ye vanhu Mhona...