Staff Reporter

Delays in the procurement processes are hindering the production of locally made vehicle number plates, a contact within the Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology has said.

Zimbabwe spends more than US$800 000 annually in importing vehicle number plates. The local production of plates project is therefore expected to save the country’s foreign currency by reducing import costs through localization of production of number plates using local materials.

According to the contact, the tender to the production of the number plates was flighted on 4 April, this year and the process to identify a successful bidder was expected by end of June and is also waiting for Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ)’s approval.

The contact revealed that detailed project documents like facility layout designs, machinery specification, budget, procurement schedules and Grant Chart are already in place.

The contact further revealed that the number plate plant is expected to start functioning on 3 November 2021 as Treasury is said to have already set aside US$1 million for the plant. The project, according to the contact, is being initiated by a consortium involving seven local Universities and two Polytechnic Colleges.

The Consortium, the contact said, agreed that the Aluminium number plate making machine will be located either at Chinhoyi University of Science and Technology (CUT), Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) or Harare Polytechnic. The Consortium also agreed that the Arcyclic number plate equipment should be located at National University of Science and Technology (NUST).

The contact further revealed that the locally made number plates will cost US$5.63 per pair compared to the current imported number plates which are costing US$11.07.

Meanwhile, a contact within the Central Vehicle Registration (CVR) revealed that all the 45 000 imported number plates were finished by 23 April, and 650 yellow plates left are reserved for Government.

He further revealed that in stock were 1 200 number plates for commercial vehicles and 300 number plates for trailers, adding that 1616 motorists have paid for number plates and are yet to be issued.

There is a national deficit of 65 000 plates and the proposed local number plates will have enhanced features which supersede those of the current number plates, but still maintain compliance with SADC regulations. The vehicle plates will have five features, making them very difficult for thieves to produce counterfeit copies.