Cross-Border Bus Operators Accuse ZIMRA Of Unlawful Checkpoints

Cross-border bus operators have accused the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) of conducting unlawful inland checkpoints and impounding buses without proper justification, warning that this practice is both unconstitutional and detrimental to the transport sector.

In a letter dated 21 November 2025, lawyers representing the Zimbabwe Passenger Transport Organisation (ZPTO) said the ongoing “operation” has led to the “indiscriminate seizure of buses.”

The letter alleges that ZIMRA officials are carrying out duplicate clearance procedures far from official border posts.

The legal representatives, Rubaya and Chatambudza Legal Practitioners, said that such actions are not only illegal but also threaten the smooth functioning of cross-border transport services. The lawyers wrote:

“What boggles the mind is why you are installing unofficial inland border posts to do exactly that which would have been done by other ZIMRA officials at the official port of entry or border post.”

ZPTO has compared ZIMRA’s inland checkpoints to a situation where a gatekeeper checks a passport only for another official to demand it again a mile down the road.

Lawyers representing ZPTO warned that the new checkpoints seriously violate citizens’ constitutional rights.

They questioned why passengers found with undeclared goods are often released without penalty, while bus owners face severe punishment.

ZIMRA was also criticised for taking impounded buses to BAK Storage, a private facility that charges an exorbitant US$57.50 per day and refuses payment in local currency. The lawyers said such practices risk paralysing the country’s public transport system.

They added that the measures are increasingly viewed by the public as a step backwards, echoing restrictive practices of the colonial era.

Further, ZIMRA has been accused of imposing a blanket US$5,000 penalty on bus operators whenever passengers are found with improperly cleared goods, even though the operators have no involvement in customs clearance.

The lawyers have demanded that ZIMRA immediately stop its inland operations.

More: NewZimbabwe.com