Driving school owners appeal for reopening
THE Zimbabwe Driving School Owners Association ( ZDSOA) is lobbying for the reopening of the Vehicle Inspection Depot (VID) licence issuance unit saying its closure has had a knock-on effect on their livelihoods.
VID closed down when Government imposed the initial lockdown on March 30 and is among public institutions that remain closed. While Government later relaxed lockdown regulations, allowing even driving schools to reopen, VID which issues licences has remained closed.
Operators of driving schools say without the VID, their business operations remain constrained, as clients see no reason to go for lessons when they will not get a licence.
The sector has written to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development pleading for the opening of the VID.
They said following their reopening, they have been adhering to set Government and World Health Organisation Covid-19 measures including sanitisation, wearing of masks, social distancing and temperature checks.
They told Chronicle that their lives have been seriously affected by the global pandemic leading to loss of jobs.
ZDSOA vice president Mr Edwin Ndlovu, who runs Gracious Driving School said:
“Covid-19 has affected us in a big way. We have rentals to pay at our offices, we still pay taxes and we have obligations even to our families.
“Although we are allowed to operate under the existing Covid-19 regulations, we are still very much constrained due to the closure of the VID. Right now some of our instructors have been laid off as companies cannot continue to pay them when there isn’t any work. We have since approached the parent ministry with proposals requesting that it be opened in tandem with laid down regulations.”
He said the continued closure of VID could increase the number of people driving without licences.
“We are providing a very vital service to the public. But we fear that the continued closure of the VID could encourage some people to drive without requisite documentation.
“This could cause fatal accidents among other societal ills. But we believe that despite increasing cases we can operate in an environment that does not fuel the spread of the virus,” he said.
DKs driving school proprietor Mrs Nomusa Nyathi said from an average of 22 lessons a day for a truck and small vehicles, the number of people coming for lessons had dropped.
Mrs Nyathi said people undergo driving lessons when they know that at the completion of their lessons, they will undergo a driving test.
She said driving schools were struggling to pay rentals while at home, their families were struggling.
“Right now my landlord was demanding rentals for July which I don’t have and we are already in August. We believe that we are a low Covid-19 risk sector hence we believe that it will be appropriate for Government to reopen the VID so that we operate at full throttle although observing Covid-19 prevention measures,” she said.
“If you compare us to Zupco buses where people are crowded, in a driving school it will just be the instructor and learner. There is already social distancing and so besides the need to eke a living, our business environment will remain a low risk Covid-19 environment. It’s difficult to tell a driving instructor that they should remain at home as there are no jobs at the moment.”
An instructor who lost his job following the continued closure of VID, Mr Charles Mhlanga, said life has become difficult for him and he is waiting for the Government’s greenlight for driving schools to start operating. “Right now I’m just staying at home, driving schools have no business. Being an instructor is all I do. It’s difficult just to sit at home. I cannot adequately provide for my father as I’ve lost my source of livelihood.
“I know some of my clients were aiming for employment after the acquisition of drivers’ licences. So, there is a long value chain that has been affected by this development,” said Mr Mhlanga. — @nqotshili