BY SILAS NKALA BULAWAYO City Council (BCC)says it plans to auction several vehicles impounded by the city’s municipal police for various offences such as failure to pay parking fees.
According to council’s latest minutes, the town planning department notified the council in a report that the impending auction would include various other confiscated items as well as abandoned and unclaimed vehicles.
“The auction of the abandoned vehicles is done in terms of the Statutory Instrument 63 of 2015 (BCC Clamping and Tow-away) By-Laws, 2015, and the confiscated items were as per The Bulawayo (Protection of Lands and Natural Resources) Amendment By-Laws,” the town planning department report reads.
“In terms of the said By-laws, it was procedural that these items were auctioned after the expiry of the ninety days when the vehicles were unclaimed and in the Council Storage Yard. These vehicles accrued daily storage fees in addition to the tickets and tow-away fees that would have been charged to some of the vehicles.”
Council said the auction was meant to defray the local authority’s expenses such as towing charges and storage fees.
“Council shall deduct the applicable penalties, storage fees, auction commission fees, tow away fees, Vat and any other charges related to the handling or keeping of the items before and after the advert or auction, from the proceeds of the sale of the motor vehicle and any balance shall be paid to the owner upon written request within thirty days from the date that such request was submitted
“The balance of the monies shall be kept in a special account so created for this purpose, and any money not claimed within one year after the sale of the motor vehicle (unclaimed items) shall be forfeited to the Council. With respect to the confiscated items, a notice shall be published to dispose of these items,” the report added.
Council advised owners of all impounded vehicles and confiscated items to claim their property within 30 days or risk losing them through an auction.
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According to the report, the auction will be held at the council’s Stores Yard along Khami Road between this month and next month.
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