Driving in Bulawayo

Fines & your rights

Zimbabwe's Standard Scale of Fines is set by Statutory Instrument 14A of 2023, effective 22 February 2023. Fines are gazetted in US dollars and payable in local currency at the prevailing interbank rate. Deposit (roadside) fines cap at Level 3; anything graver than that goes to court rather than a roadside payment.

These four levels are confirmed directly from the gazette text. The full table runs to Level 14; the remaining intermediate levels (2, 4, 5, 7–13) are not yet confirmed from a source we could read directly.

Roadside deposit fines (the kind an officer can offer on the spot) are capped at Level 3 (US$30). A specific offence-by-offence list (e.g. the exact fine for a missing fire extinguisher, or for a given speeding tier) exists in the ZRP's own deposit-fines schedule, but we haven't yet obtained a copy we could read directly. See the equipment table below for what we could confirm per item.

What we understand about your rights

• Reported (not yet checked against the ZRP's own July 2026 fines guide): a roadside deposit fine is a choice, not an obligation. Using Form 265, a driver can elect to be dealt with in court instead of paying on the spot.
• Reported: officers are expected to issue an official Z69J receipt for any roadside payment.
• Confirmed from the Road Traffic Act: police may detain a vehicle only where a driver's licence can't be produced or verified, and only for up to 24 hours (s74). There is no general legal power to impound a vehicle simply because a fine is unpaid.
• In early July 2026, ZRP published its own plain-language guide to traffic fines and motorists' rights. We haven't yet been able to read the guide itself, only that it exists. Once we have, the three points above will either firm up or be corrected here.

Report a rogue officer

Source: Veritas Zimbabwe: Bill Watch on SI 14A of 2023·needs verification

Veritas Zimbabwe, "The New Standard Scale of Fines" (Bill Watch, Feb 2023)ZRP launches a plain-language traffic fines guide (ZimEye, 7 Jul 2026)ZRP: roadblock siting and oversight policy (ZRP press statement, 23 Oct 2025)

What your car must carry

What a private car (not a commercial or public-service vehicle) must legally carry, under SI 129 of 2015. A lot of confusion circulates about this list, in both directions: some of what "everyone knows" is a myth, and some of what people assume doesn't apply actually does.

• Fire extinguisher (required)

  Minimum 0.75kg for a light (private) vehicle, SAZ or another recognised-standard approved, marked, and secured somewhere accessible and visible in the cab. This applies to ordinary private cars, not just commercial or public-service vehicles; a common myth is that it doesn't.

  Reported at Level 1 (US$5); not yet confirmed against a directly-read fine schedule.

• Two red warning triangles (required)

  Reflective on both sides, roughly equilateral (about 42.5cm a side), displayed 30–50m from the vehicle after a breakdown.

  Reported at Level 3 to carry, Level 2 to display when required; not yet confirmed directly.

• Spare wheel, jack, wheel spanner (required)

  Each must be serviceable/efficient; each a separate requirement.

  Reported at Level 1 (US$5) each; not yet confirmed directly.

• Reflective vest / hi-vis jacket (not required)

  Not required for private car occupants (a persistent myth). It applies only to cyclists and motorcyclists riding at night.

  No fine: not a private-car requirement.

• Front/rear retro-reflectors (required)

  Two white reflectors at the front, two red at the rear, within 400mm of the side edges of the vehicle.

  Fine amount not yet confirmed.

• ZBC radio listener's licence (or exemption certificate) (required)

  Since a Broadcasting Services Amendment Act change took effect on 15 July 2025, a current ZBC radio licence, or an exemption certificate if no radio is fitted, has been a precondition for renewing both your ZINARA vehicle licence disc and your motor insurance. There's no direct roadside fine for lacking one; the consequence is administrative (you can't renew your disc or insurance without it). The exact current fee is reported inconsistently across sources (between roughly US$23 and US$30 per quarter, with one report of a cut to about US$84 a year from January 2026) and hasn't been confirmed against a primary ZBC tariff notice.

  No direct fine: blocks disc/insurance renewal instead.

Source: SI 129 of 2015: Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use) Regulations·checked 15 Jul 2026

SI 129 of 2015, Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use) RegulationsZINARA enforces new rule: ZBC licence before disc renewal (Pindula News, 15 Jul 2025)

Licensing & fees (VID / ZINARA)

The driver side (learner's licence, road test, the plastic driver's licence) and the vehicle side (ZINARA disc, registration, plates) are governed by different Acts and amended on different schedules, worth keeping separate.

The ZINARA licence disc is priced by vehicle mass and licence term (4/6/8/10/12 months). For a light vehicle up to 1500kg: US$40 / US$60 / US$80 / US$100 / US$120 for those five terms respectively.

Not yet confirmed from a source we could read directly: the learner's licence test fee itself (distinct from the road test fees above), the cost of issuing the physical plastic licence card, current toll fees on the Bulawayo-Beitbridge and Bulawayo-Victoria Falls roads, and the exact street address of the VID Bulawayo depot.

Offices in Bulawayo

• ZINARA Bulawayo office: 90 Main Street, ZB Building, 1st Floor (between 8th and 9th Avenue). Confirm before a special trip.
• VID Bulawayo depot: Operates as one of VID's 23 national depots; exact street address not yet confirmed.

Source: SI 119 of 2023, SI 67 of 2024 & SI 10 of 2026 (Veritas Zimbabwe)·checked 15 Jul 2026

SI 119 of 2023, Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) RegulationsSI 67 of 2024, Vehicle Registration and Licensing (Amendment) RegulationsSI 10 of 2026, Vehicle Registration and Licensing (Amendment) Regulations

Bulawayo CBD parking & TTI

How we got here (dated, neutral)

1. 12 August 2022: A High Court challenge to TTI clamping (HC1460/22) was dismissed, with costs against the motorist.
2. 11 October 2023: A Bulawayo Small Claims Court ruling found TTI had clamped a vehicle with no by-law authority to do so, and ordered a US$25 refund.
3. 3 November 2023: SI 220 of 2023, the City of Bulawayo (Clamping and Tow-away) By-laws, was gazetted three weeks after that ruling, and is the authority TTI/council cite since.
4. 21 May 2025: TTI withdrew criminal charges against a motorist in a widely-shared case where a clamp was cut off; no reason was given.
5. 27 February 2026: SI 41 of 2026 gazetted, capping parking, clamping and towing fees nationwide.
6. 2 July 2026: Council reported still charging pre-cap rates, citing its TTI contract; a resident's non-compliance suit was reported pending before the courts.

Under the BCC-TTI contract, council receives 30% of parking and clamping revenue and TTI retains 70%. The contract has been reported as a six-year term running to December 2027 with an option for a four-year extension.

Not yet confirmed: the exact clamp-release, tow and storage fees TTI is actually charging today. Fees reported before the 2026 cap included roughly US$40 to clamp a car; whether that figure has moved since the cap (or since council's stated non-implementation) is unconfirmed. Council's own online tariff page still shows pre-currency-reform figures and can't be relied on for a current amount.

Source: CITE, Bulawayo24 & the City of Bulawayo (Clamping and Tow-away) By-laws·checked 15 Jul 2026

BCC defends US$1 parking fee, cites TTI contract (CITE, 2 Jul 2026)Coltart bristles after government slashes parking/clamping fees (ZimLive, 11 Sep 2025)City of Bulawayo (Clamping and Tow-away) By-laws, SI 220 of 2023 (Veritas Zimbabwe)