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Government has observed that limiting the age of second hand vehicles entering the country will disadvantage the majority of Zambians who cannot afford to buy brand new ones.
Communications, Works, Supply, and Transport Minister Christopher Yaluma said government will therefore not limit the age of vehicles entering Zambia.
Mr. Yaluma was reacting to calls by Toyota Zambia Limited on government to limit the age of second hand vehicles entering the country to four (4) years for cars and pick-ups and five (5) years for trucks in a bid to improve safety conditions on roads.
He argued that vehicles that were unsafe on roads were due to lack of maintenance rather than their age.
Mr. Yaluma told ZANIS that government already has good systems in place to monitor the safety of motor vehicles through the Road Traffic Safety Agency (RTSA) and other local authorities.
He reiterated that government will only limit the age of vehicles coming into the country if there were compelling reasons to do so noting that safety was not one of them.
Mr. Yaluma said most cars that were entering the country were not only in good condition but also very affordable for the majority of Zambians.
He stated that limiting the age of motor vehicles will only benefit players in the local industry and not necessarily benefiting the ordinary Zambians because vehicles would be beyond the affordability of most citizens.
Zambia has in recent years seen an influx of second hand vehicles most of which come from Japan with an age average of about eight (8) to twelve years old.
