By Patience Gondo
THE Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) has launched a festive season licensing promotion centred on a new 12 month payment plan designed to help motorists clear long standing arrears and penalties, many of which have accumulated over several years of non compliance.
The promotion, announced through ZINARA’s official platforms on Wednesday, will run for a week from December 8 to 15 2025.
Unlike previous compliance drives that focused mainly on once off discounts or penalty reductions, this year’s campaign places its strongest emphasis on flexible, extended repayments.
Zinara said under the initiative, motorists with overdue vehicle licenses can enter a structured plan allowing them to settle remaining balances over an entire year, easing the immediate financial burden that has kept many out of compliance.
ZINARA said the arrangement is meant to give defaulters room to breathe while helping restore inflows needed for the country’s strained road rehabilitation budget.
To encourage uptake of the payment plan, ZINARA is offering a full 100% waiver on all accumulated penalties before motorists enrol in the 12 month schedule.
Zinara has also introduced a 25% discount on current license renewals to reduce the upfront costs faced by compliant motorists during the busy holiday season. The penalty waiver is expected to draw large numbers of motorists who avoided licensing points due to fear of heavy fines.
ZINARA chief executive Nkosinathi Ncube said the repayment flexibility is meant to address the reality that thousands of motorists have fallen into arrears during recent economic hardships.
By spreading payments over 12 month he said the administration hopes to convert long-term defaulters into active payers while ensuring that revenue gradually returns to the road fund.
Ncube also said the promotion will not be extended beyond December 15, urging motorists to utilise the limited window.
To widen access, the authority has mobilised its licensing offices, mobile registration teams, tollgates across the country except those on the Plumtree Mutare route and registered partners such as CBZ Holdings, Post Insurance,m and AFC Holdings.
These channels are expected to capture motorists travelling for the festive season as well as those who typically rely on agents rather than central offices.
One Beitbridge driver (anynomous) commented that arrears have become a major challenge for road authorities globally, as prolonged non payment weakens maintenance budgets and increases pressure on national treasuries.
“ZINARA’s move to combine a complete penalty waiver with a long-term repayment plan reflects a shift toward restoring compliance gradually rather than demanding full settlement upfront, which many motorists cannot afford,” he said.
With only a week to enrol in the scheme, ZINARA is encouraging the public to use verified information from its official communication channels, including the Zimbabwe National Road Administration Facebook page, to avoid fraudulent intermediaries.