By BUUMBA CHIMBULU
POLICE will soon conduct a countrywide operation to clamp down all unregistered vehicles which have been imported into the country.
Some unregistered vehicles are being used in criminal activities.
This will be a joint operation with the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) and Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) aimed at bringing to book all those that would fail to register their motor vehicles.
Last week, ZRA impounded 74 vehicles for dubiously entering Zambia, having questionable clearance papers and expiry of temporally importation certificates in an exercise conducted in three districts.
Commenting on this, Police Inspector General, Kakoma Kanganja, said he had observed an increase in the number of unregistered motor vehicles on public roads which in some instances were being used in criminal activities as perpetrators easily elude justice.
Mr Kanganja said it was for this reason that the trio would conduct a joint operation countrywide.
“Registration of motor vehicles is essential as it allows for easy identification and tracing when used in criminal activities or when involved in road traffic violations such as hit and run road traffic accidents.
“According to section 11 of the Road Traffic Act, any motor vehicle that has been imported into the country should be registered within 14 days, failure to which such a motor vehicle should be impounded and the owner charged for failing to register a motor vehicle,” he said in a statement.
Mr Kanganja urged those without proper motor vehicle clearance documentation to take advantage of the grace period announced by ZRA to acquire proper documents before the end of the grace period.
ZRA Commissioner General, Kingsley Chanda, last week announced the introduction of a mini tax amnesty to owners of the impounded vehicles to clear their dues before May 15, 2021, without penalties and interest, after which they risked losing them.
Mr Chanda said ZRA had opted to give a grace period and allow the owners of the impounded vehicles to have their vehicles legitimately cleared into the country after paying principal taxes.
“Please note that no penalties or interest will be charged, and no other administrative sanctions will be applied.
“Therefore, anyone driving a vehicle with questionable clearance documents should take advantage of this rare gesture to normalise their importation,” Mr Chanda said.
