The driver’s licence backlog has risen to more than 600 000, with the Central Vehicle Registry (CVR) failing to produce discs for drivers who passed tests as far back as 2019.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona on Wednesday said his Ministry has put in place a strategic operational plan to clear using a phased approach that will see drivers who obtained licences between 1 January 2019 and 30 June 2019 getting the discs first.
Mhona also said the Ministry of Transport will soon launch a new national driving licence system that will see metal licences replaced by standard plastic driver’s licences linked to a database. He said:
My Ministry has put in place a strategic operational plan to clear the backlog of 600 000 applicants waiting for their Driver’s Licenses to be printed and issued by the Central Vehicle Registry (CVR).
Given the huge backlog size, my Ministry will use a phased approach in order to avoid congestion at Central Vehicle Registry (CVR).
I am pleased to inform you that during the first phase, we will prioritize those with manual Certificates of Competency issued between 1 January 2019 and 30 June 2019.
Subsequently, other drivers on the backlog list will be informed through electronic and print media, on when they can visit their nearest CVR and Vehicle Inspectorate Department offices to have their biometric details and pictures captured into the system.
In line with Government’s decentralisation thrust, all drivers will collect their Licences from the nearest ZIMPOST Offices dispersed across the country.
Once the new Drivers’ Licence System is fully operational, all drivers who would have passed their Driving Competence Tests will be able to receive the new Licence within seven (7) days.
This convenience to our citizens comes from the automation processes and the instant printing capability of this highly secure plastic card.
Mhona said the plastic driver’s licences will meet the international standards of SADC, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the East African Community and also allow more categories.
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