Govt orders 200 000 vehicle number plates

Govt orders 200 000 vehicle number plates
Published: 25 June 2019
THE Transport ministry has placed an order of over 200 000 number plates in an effort to address their shortages in the country.

This comes as the Central Vehicle Registry (CVR) has been grappling with number plate shortages for a while now, owing to foreign currency constraints.

Speaking to the Daily News on Sunday, Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) director Johannes Pedzapasi said only number plates for public transport vehicles were currently available at the CVR.

"We are in the process of securing number plates. We encountered challenges with foreign currency but we now have it.

"The only challenge now is transferring the money to the contractor.
"We have ordered more than 200 000 and the order will suffice for at least two years," Pedzapasi said.
Consumption rate ranges from 120 000 to 150 000 plates annually and the Transport ministry usually makes a huge order as costs for big orders are much cheaper.

Although Pedzapasi told this publication that only the Finance ministry knows when the transfer will be made, he said the order is expected to be delivered in a period of between three to six months.

Towards the end of 2018, the CVR also encountered shortages after a shipment order of 400 000 plates was delayed due to high sea levels in the Indian Ocean.

Despite the delivery of the plates, the Transport ministry has failed to deal with the shortages that have seen some officials allegedly selling the plates at a black market price.
Reliable sources revealed that there are some people who are selling number plates to private vehicle owners for US$50.
Pedzapasi, however, dismissed these allegations saying the price has not changed from RTGS$80.

Over the past few months, the prevailing shortages forced the Transport ministry to review two policies as a measure of adjusting to the crisis.

While vehicles changing ownership have been allowed to remain with their current number plates, Transport minister Biggie Matiza also extended the lifespan of temporary plates to an indefinite period.

Vehicle number plates is among a plethora of other shortages the country is grappling with, which also includes fuel and power.
- dailynews
Tags: Numberplates,

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