TSCZ in blitz to flush out bogus driving schools

THE Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) has embarked on a nationwide blitz to flush out unregistered driving schools and instructors who are fleecing learners of their hard-earned cash.

TSCZ corporate communications officer Mr Tatenda Chinoda said his organisation was seriously concerned with the rampant mushrooming of unregistered driving schools and warned that the culprits will be brought to book.

“During this blitz, we have discovered that there are unlicensed driving instructors and unregistered driving schools operating in many towns and cities,” he said

“In Masvingo, for instance, we only managed to have one unregistered driving instructor arrested and he was fined, while in Harare more than 15 unregistered driving schools were discovered during the first quarter of this year.”

He blamed unregistered driving schools and instructors for fuelling road carnage along the country’s highways.

“You would find out that by issuing fake learner’s licences, these bogus driving schools indirectly increase the number of unqualified motorists on our highways which increases chances of accidents,” he said.

Mr Chinoda said Statutory Instrument 309 of 1985 requires that all driving schools be registered, adding that those that would have contravened the legal requirement would be liable to a mandatory fine or be imprisoned for a period not exceeding six months.

The TSCZ official warned learners who acquire driver’s licences illicitly that they risked being arrested.

Mr Chinoda said TSCZ was legally mandated to de-register all bogus driving schools and instructors and cause their arrest to bring sanity on the roads. He said his organisation would continue to conduct regular spot checks at existing and newly-established driving schools to flush out bogus ones.