Police in Bulawayo has impounded over 2 000 vehicles as motorists continue defying lockdown regulations, with the vehicles sent to Ross Camp Police Station.
This was revealed by Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube while addressing journalists at a press briefing on Thursday.
Inspector Ncube said the motorists would only get their vehicles back after they pay fines for traffic offences and clear parking-related cases with municipal authorities. He said:
As we are on lockdown level two, we have realised that there is a lot of defiances and motorists think the Covid-19 lockdown is for pedestrians only, not realising that whether you fly, you drive, you walk or sail, this virus can still affect you and you can be a carrier and infect others. It is worrying that people are disregarding the rules that have been set for their own safety. We, therefore, call upon motorists to abide by lockdown rules as well.
Some of the impounded vehicles already have pending cases and some defects so even after paying their fines, they will still have to clear their pending cases, like driving without a licence or for instance city parking tickets. This lockdown period does not override other traffic regulations.
Inspector Ncube said another problem was of kombis not under the ZUPCO scheme who were now illegally servicing routes, as well as cross-border South African-registered Toyota Quantums, which are being used to ply local routes yet their permits do not allow for local public transportation.