Zimbabwe to Put Road Inspectors on Night Shift as Mining Trucks Dodge Checkpoints
By Desire Tshuma
HARARE — Zimbabwe is moving to intensify road surveillance around the clock, with the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) set to introduce night shifts in a bid to curb overloaded trucks blamed for accelerating the deterioration of the country’s road network.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona told the Senate that some mining companies were deliberately moving heavy haulage vehicles after dark to evade enforcement checkpoints operating during normal hours.
Mhona said the practice had made it increasingly difficult for authorities to enforce prescribed vehicle weight limits and protect the country’s roads from excessive damage.
“Instead of complying, some of the mining companies have resorted to travelling at midnight so that they avoid our usual checkpoints,” the minister said.
In response, the ministry is now deploying VID officers on a shift system, effectively extending inspections into the night. The move is expected to close a loophole that has allowed some operators to time their journeys around enforcement operations, particularly in mining areas where large quantities of minerals and other heavy cargo are transported by road.
Mhona, however, said increased policing alone would not provide a lasting solution to the problem. He urged mining companies to shift bulk transportation from roads to the railway network, arguing that rail remains more suitable for moving heavy loads over long distances while reducing pressure on the country’s road infrastructure.
The minister also appealed to mining companies and transport operators to comply with statutory axle and gross vehicle weight limits, warning that continued abuse of the road network comes at a cost to the wider economy.
The intensified VID operations come as Zimbabwe grapples with deteriorating roads, with overloaded trucks contributing to pavement failure, potholes and increased maintenance costs.
Government’s strategy will therefore combine tougher enforcement with efforts to encourage the movement of heavy mining cargo by rail.
The planned 24-hour inspections signal a major shift in the country’s road enforcement approach, as authorities seek to ensure that the cover of darkness no longer provides an escape route for operators who flout weight regulations.
