Government Scraps Road Access Fee In Bid To Cut Costs And Red Tape

 
By Desire Tshuma


Harare – Government has officially removed the Road Access Fee with Statutory Instrument 113 of 2026 gazetted on 24 July 2026, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Hon. Adv. F.T. Mhona has announced.

In a press statement dated 27 July 2026, Minister Mhona said the move follows a directive by His Excellency President Cde Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa during the first Cabinet meeting of 2026. The President instructed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to review taxes, licences, permits and regulatory fees to cut excessive administrative costs and improve the ease of doing business.

Minister Mhona said Cabinet had, since last year, been reviewing fees charged by the Central Vehicle Registry, Road Motor Transportation and the Vehicle Inspectorate Department. The focus was on removing unjustifiable, duplicative or overlapping charges.

He said the Ministry has now rationalised all fees in those departments, including removing regulatory requirements and permit charges that duplicated functions, as well as transactional fees that were hindering operational efficiency.

The Road Access Fee was introduced in 2009 at a time when Zimbabwe did not have a national road tolling system. With the rollout of ZINARA toll gates, Minister Mhona said the fee became duplicative and meant motorists were paying twice for the same service. He said this imposed unnecessary financial and administrative burdens on transport operators and the travelling public.

“The Ministry remains firmly committed to creating a modern, efficient and business-friendly transport regulatory framework,” Mhona said. He urged all drivers, vehicle owners and transport operators to comply fully with road transport regulations and to take advantage of the revised, streamlined fee structure now in place.

The removal of the Road Access Fee is part of government’s broader push to strengthen Zimbabwe’s economic competitiveness.