Bulawayo motorist’s US$50K traffic ticket nightmare

Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor

IN a twist to the ongoing saga surrounding exorbitant storage fees imposed by the Bulawayo City Council, a local motorist has revealed that he now owes the local authority a staggering US$50 000 in storage fees.

The shocking figure follows the impounding of his kombi for traffic offences that initially amounted to US$610, on 7 May this year.

The ticket debacle recently brought to light by Sunday News has sparked serious concerns regarding the fairness and transparency of the local authority’s practices.

The motorist’s vehicle was seized for a series of traffic violations and the rapid accumulation of storage fees has left him in a precarious financial condition that far exceeds the value of his vehicle.

Earlier this month, the local authority passed a resolution to eliminate hourly storage charges, introducing fixed daily rates instead. Under the new structure, owners of small vehicles will pay US$100 per day, US$150 for medium vehicles and US$240 per day for heavy vehicles.

The maximum storage charges are set at US$600, US$1 800 and US$3 600, respectively. These charges will apply from the moment a car is booked into the council’s storage facilities and motorists will have 30 days to clear their debts or face the potential auction of their vehicles.

In endorsing the new fees, the local authority argued that they are meant to be punitive enough to deter offenders from using council facilities as a means to store their vehicles.

However, Mr Ndabezinhle Nyoni, whose kombi remains impounded at the Khami Road storage facility, expressed frustration with BCC officials, believing their goal is to auction his vehicle instead of helping him recover it.

“I never imagined that something as simple as unpaid tickets could lead to a debt this huge,” he lamented.

“I started with a manageable amount, but the fees keep piling up. Now, I feel like I am being drained financially over a kombi that I can’t afford to reclaim. It seems all they want is to eventually auction it off.”

Despite multiple attempts to engage with the council, Mr Nyoni said he has received no meaningful response.

“No one from the local authority seems to care about my case. I have reached out to various offices—the corporate communications office, the Chamber Secretary’s office, the Town Clerk and even the Mayor—with no success.”

“This issue began when I was first informed of my penalties, initially pegged at US$610, which later increased to US$810. I tried to negotiate a payment plan for these fees, but they rejected that, and the storage fees kept increasing. The last amount I checked, just a few days ago, was US$52 250,” Mr Nyoni said.

In a letter dated 30 September to the Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube, Mr Nyoni explained that the kombi was his only asset and that he earned just US$250 a month, yet he was expected to pay US$360 daily while the vehicle remained stuck in the impound yard.

Bulawayo Town Clerk Mr Christopher Dube

“The kombi had tickets from 2018 to 2021 that totalled $610. I was completely unaware of these tickets until the day it was impounded. Now, the storage fees are US$360 per day, while I only make US$250 a month. This is my only asset, and it’s been a struggle to cope without it.”

Mr Nyoni works out of town and cited the difficulty of finding time to visit Bulawayo, noting that his employer cannot afford to grant him time off during the week due to tight schedules.

“The last time I engaged council on this issue was on August 14, but the Mayor wasn’t available. I submitted a payment proposal, but the public relations officer declined it. I have also approached the Finance Department and the Chamber Secretary,” he wrote.

In a proposed payment plan submitted to the local authority’s finance director, Mr Tennyson Mpunzi, Mr Nyoni pointed out that due to wear and tear, the kombi could now be valued at just US$2 000, making the accrued storage fees unjustifiable.

“I am being charged US$360 daily, which is exorbitant,” he stated.

“As I mentioned, I can only afford to pay 25 percent of the kombi’s value. Given its age—manufactured in 1996—and the ban on importing such old models, the vehicle’s value is now around US$2 000. I propose to pay 25 percent of that, which is US$500 for three weeks of storage. This is already a huge sacrifice for me, and I may need to resort to a loan to cover this amount since paying back US$500 with 50 percent interest monthly is still cheaper than the daily interest I am facing in your storage facilities,” he said.

Mr Nyoni also reached out via numerous emails requesting a meeting with the Mayor, Councillor David Coltart, but claimed he was constantly told the Mayor’s office was yet to arrange a date and time for the meeting.

“They claim these high storage fees are intended to deter motorists from using council facilities such as car parks. But with overnight parking costing just $1, who would choose to pay US$20 a day to store their vehicle at council facilities?”

“These unrealistic storage fees are the groundwork for corruption and bribery among council officials, as desperate motorists may be tempted to resort to uncouth means to recover their vehicles quickly, given the extreme risk of losing them.”