NO RADIO BUT YOU’RE STILL CHARGED — ZIMBABWEANS DECRY MANDATORY ZBC LICENCE FEE AT ZINARA
_…“I don’t own a radio. I’ve never listened to ZBC in my car. So why am I being forced to pay for something I don’t use?”
Zimbabwean motorists are raising their voices in frustration as the new requirement to pay the ZBC licence fee during ZINARA vehicle licence renewals kicks in.
Even those without a radio installed in their vehicle must pay the fee—unless they obtain an exemption certificate from ZBC. But here lies the rub: the exemption process is cloaked in confusion and virtually inaccessible.
“I don’t own a radio. I’ve never listened to ZBC in my car. So why am I being forced to pay for something I don’t use?” asked an irate driver in Msasa. His question echoes thousands more who feel trapped by a fee they view as unjust and poorly implemented.
While ZINARA’s process for collecting the licence fee is swift and mandatory, the same cannot be said for ZBC’s exemption framework. Motorists report being stonewalled at ZINARA offices and left in the dark on how to get the certificate. Many are simply told to “just pay”—not because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s less hassle.
The bigger issue? There’s no published information anywhere—online or in print—on how to apply for the exemption certificate. No official guidelines. No office contacts. No clear documentation process.
Citizens are left guessing: Do they contact ZBC directly? Is physical inspection required? Can the exemption be done online? Silence. And with that silence grows suspicion: is this confusion deliberate?
As if being charged for a car radio you don’t own wasn’t enough, Zimbabwean motorists are now grappling with the steep cost of the ZBC radio licence itself.
“US$92 a year for a service I don’t use? That’s not a licence—it’s a levy,” said one motorist from Glen View. *“And if you try to opt out, good luck finding out how.
“It feels like we’re being forced to bankroll ZBC—radio or no radio,” said one frustrated driver from Bulawayo. “And in a country where every dollar counts, it’s infuriating.”
Calls are mounting for ZBC and ZINARA to provide clarity, transparency, and fair access to exemptions. Advocacy groups are pushing for public information campaigns and a centralized, digital exemption portal to prevent financial coercion masquerading as policy. *_-Nehanda Radio_*
