Govt Bans Tinted Car Windows in Crime Crackdown

By Elishamai A Ziumbwa

The government has outlawed tinted windows on all private and public vehicles with immediate effect as part of a nationwide effort to tackle crime and drug abuse.

Addressing journalists in Permanent Secretary for Presidential Affairs and Devolution, Tafadzwa Muguti said the move would be enforced across all provinces warning that any vehicle found with tinted windows would either be stripped of the tint by police or impounded.

“All of you with tinted windows that prevent police from seeing inside your vehicle, remove them immediately. If you don’t, the police will do it for you, or your vehicle will be impounded,” Muguti said.

The only exceptions, he said would be for government VIPs, security vehicles or cars fitted with manufacturer-standard shades.

He said the decision follows a rise in violent crimes committed in vehicles with tinted windows including robberies and the rape of a Grade Seven pupil inside a commuter omnibus.

Muguti singled out mushikashika operators informal transporters often linked to criminal activity as priority targets of the clampdown.

“Tinted windows provide cover for criminal activity. This is about public safety,” he said.

The directive comes with a broader set of measures aimed at curbing drug abuse and crime.

Muguti announced that rehabilitation centres would now admit only youths brought in by parents or guardians who must agree to a mandatory seven-month separation.

“Once you submit your child, you will not see them for months. They must be removed from environments that fuel relapse,” he said.

Muguti also directed that only Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs should brief the media on government policy saying some politicians had been speaking out of turn in a bid to gain popularity.

In addition, toll-free numbers will be activated across all provinces to encourage anonymous reporting of drug-related crimes.