By Staff Reporter
CITIZENS have taken it to social media to vent their anger over the recent ban on tints , including several from the ruling Zanu-PF party circles.
In a dramatic move to combat crime, the government on Tuesday ordered all private and public motorists to immediately remove tinting from their vehicle windows.
The directive exempts only official government and VIP transport vehicles.
Announced by the Secretary for Presidential Affairs and Devolution Tafadzwa Muguti at a news conference in Harare, the sweeping ban targets the use of dark tints.
Muguti cited a sharp increase in crimes committed in vehicles with obscured windows, including the recent rape of a Grade 7 girl in an omnibus, armed robberies by criminals using unmarked mshika-shikas (informal taxis) and the transportation of dangerous drugs.
“We call upon all provinces to enforce a complete ban… except for government vehicles and VIP vehicles or those manufactured with a standard shade of tints,” Muguti stated.
“We will not be allowing any commuter omnibus to have tinted windows… Please remove your tinted windows immediately, or the police will do it for you or your vehicle will be impounded.”
The announcement, however, appears to conflict with existing regulations.
Statutory Instrument 129/15 does not explicitly ban tints. Instead, it mandates that all windows must provide a “clear, undistorted vision” and a “safe degree of visibility,” criminalising only those tints that prevent the driver from having a full view of the road.
The same regulations also make it mandatory for all vehicles to be equipped with a fire extinguisher, a serviceable spare wheel, a jack, and a wheel spanner.
Legal experts were quick to question the authority and scope of Muguti’s directive, noting he holds a presidential affairs portfolio, not transport or law enforcement.
Lawyer Obey Shava cautioned, “Police should be careful not to make costly decisions based on a statement which is not fully supported by the law. Tint is allowed on condition certain requirements are met.”
Skeptics said the government’s tough new stance sets the stage for potential confusion as police are tasked with enforcing an immediate ban that seems to go beyond the current legal framework.
The Government has no power to ban tints on car windows verbally by word of mouth. Legislation by press statement is unconstitutional. The utterances made by that zanupf thug are nonsensical, there is no fundamental legal merit or justification in this
