Zimbabwe’s road transport system is entering a new era as the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA), together with technology partner Instatoll, rolls out the country’s first electronic tolling (E-Tag) system—an innovation poised to transform how motorists move across national highways.

Following a six-month pilot and three months of full operation, the e-tolling system is already redefining efficiency at the Ntabazinduna toll plaza, the pioneer site showcased during a media tour on Thursday. The upgrade replaces the traditional manual toll-gate model with modern toll plazas designed for speed, automation, and zero congestion.

Government officials and technology partners say this shift reflects Zimbabwe’s commitment to modernising national infrastructure. The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development’s Permanent Secretary, Engineer Joy Makumbe, highlighted that the goal is to fully eliminate cash-based tolling while embracing world-class digital systems.

“We are moving from toll gates to toll plazas. We do not want to see you going there with hard cash. When your car reaches the plaza, the boom gate just opens. There won’t be any build-up of cars,” she said, adding that E-Tags will eventually be rolled out across all major roads under construction.

Instatoll’s Country Operations Manager, Mr. George Mupfuka, said the company now runs 58 lanes across nine toll gates nationally, with dedicated E-Tag lanes added to improve throughput.

“Ntabazinduna was the pioneer. We do have challenges here and there, but we have now put in a solution of e-tolling. This is a seamless solution,” he said.

The technology behind the system uses RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), allowing registered motorists with prepaid tags to pass through without stopping—cutting delays caused by cash handling, slow transactions, or network downtime. The result is a smoother, faster, and more predictable travel experience.

Adoption has been strong among distribution and logistics companies, which rely heavily on time-efficient travel. ZINARA Board Chairman, Mr. George Manyaya, dispelled misconceptions that the fast-track lane is reserved for officials.

“This lane is not for government officials, as people think. Even you can actually access this lane; it is for everyone,” he said.

He also announced plans to introduce an e-wallet linked to mobile SIM cards, enabling motorists to pay toll fees and renew licenses electronically—integrating tolling into Zimbabwe’s broader digital payments ecosystem.

“We have got companies, especially those in distribution; the uptake now is about 30 000 cars, and we hope to educate the public so that by next year we will actually get to almost everyone,” he added.

As Zimbabwe accelerates its digital transformation, the e-tolling system marks a major step toward smart mobility—reducing congestion, improving revenue collection, and aligning local infrastructure with global intelligent transport systems. The rollout signals a future where motorists travel with ease, technology drives efficiency, and the nation’s highways become faster, safer and fully digitised.