The Sunday Mail
FIVE driving schools have been deregistered by the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) so far this year for various malpractices, including safety violations, inadequate vehicle maintenance and failure to follow safety protocols during lessons.
As part of efforts to enhance road safety, a crackdown on driving schools operating illegally, which are considered to be partly responsible for the increase in reckless driving on local roads, has been launched countrywide.
TSCZ is a Government agency responsible for promoting road safety in Zimbabwe.
Its main functions include regulating and monitoring driving schools to ensure they meet the required standards, as well as conducting awareness campaigns to educate drivers and pedestrians on road safety.
TSCZ media and corporate communications officer Mrs Lucy Kuwandira-Mapfumo told The Sunday Mail that the deregistered driving schools were operating in Harare, Mutare and Masvingo.
“In Zimbabwe, we have 700 registered driving schools, with Harare having the highest number at 170,” she said.
“So far, we have deregistered five driving schools, not only from Harare but also from Mutare and Masvingo . . .
“One of our key functions is to register, regulate and monitor driving schools to ensure they operate within the law.
“To achieve this, we conduct regular inspections and blitz operations to check for compliance.”
The ongoing inspections, she said, were meant to identify and penalise non-compliant schools, ensuring that learner drivers receive proper training.
Driving schools that fail to meet the required standards risk being deregistered, and their learners will be disqualified from taking the Vehicle Inspectorate Department (VID) test, she added.
“This is done in a bid to promote driving road safety and to ensure that road safety practices are conducted at the grassroots.”
Some driving schools have been accused of accepting bribes to guarantee driver’s licences, a practice that has contributed to the rise in road accidents.
“This malpractice results in unqualified drivers on our roads who struggle to follow basic traffic regulations, endangering lives. We are working to eliminate such corruption in the sector.”
Mrs Kuwandira-Mapfumo said any driving school found with a history of safety violations, such as poor vehicle maintenance or failure to follow safety protocols, risks deregistration.
“Driving schools must renew their licences regularly and maintain the highest safety standards.
“Those that fail to comply, whether due to negligence or financial difficulties, face serious consequences,” she said.
She also reiterated that non-compliant schools will not be allowed to have their learners tested at the VID, as the council will notify the department of their status.
“We encourage all driving schools to take this matter seriously and to prioritise road safety in their operations.”