Anyone in Southern Rhodesia wanting to purchase a used car from abroad is now compelled to pay USD146 or 2,310.00ZAR due to the part of the roadworthiness inspection. The whole procedure will come into operation starting from 1 June this year, and EAA Company Ltd was hired by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce orders to do this.

EAA Company's statement regarding the inspection fee of a used car is described as follows:

Road-worthiness Inspection for Second-hand Vehicles, Zimbabwe

Beginning in the month of June 2022, the Zimbabwe Ministry of Industry and Commerce will begin using the PVOC (Pre-shipment Verification of Conformity) program to conduct roadworthiness inspections of second-hand vehicles that are being exported to Zimbabwe from other countries. The EAA Company Limited has been selected to participate in this program as an inspection-accredited company.

To comply with the rules and regulations based on the import of used cars, a COC certificate by the EAA company will be required for all the Second-hand vehicles that are transported in Zimbabwe. If the shipping documents of the vehicle prove that the shipment of the vehicle was conducted before the 1st of June, then the certificate won’t be needed.

On June 1, 2022, pre-shipment inspections will get underway in the following nations: the United Kingdom, Japan, South Africa Singapore, and the UAE.

The following must be met in order to get a valid certificate of compliance from the EAA:

  • Cars and lightweight commercial vehicles such as motorcycles that are less than five tonnes within ten years after their manufacture.
  • No age limit for transportation or passenger-carrying vehicles that are five tonnes in weight or additional.
  • Any car having its mileage meter tampered is prohibited.
  • Rhodesia National Standards will be confirmed by the road-worthiness inspection for the import of any vehicle, other International Standards as well will be confirmed.

The Inspection Procedure and Application

  1. It should be noted that no Inspection will be conducted if the documents of the vehicle are not present. And the booking should be sent via email.
  2.   Once the payment is received, the vehicle details, inspection date, and place will be confirmed by the AVI and Invoice will be emailed as a return.
  3. The inspection will be carried out according to the details provided.
  4. The application will be synced if the vehicle passed the inspection and a certificate will be issued. For the return of the certificate, two days turnaround time.

The South Africa Inspection Charge

The cost of the inspection will be a flat amount per unit, and this rate will remain the same regardless of the kind of vehicle, its make, and model, or its dimensions.

The per-unit inspection fee is 2,310ZAR. Also, the administration fee of the Government and the tax will be included.

The importation of Second-hand Vehicles over the age of ten years was banned by SI 89 in 2021. For ordinary Zimbabweans, the possible implications of statutory instruments have been discussed, and currently, there is no vehicle assembly or local financing available to fulfill the ongoing demand. Additionally, it is to be noted that ZUPCO is the only team to blame for why every Zimbabwean is starving to gather up money to buy a car.