The Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA) is a Zimbabwean parastatal responsible for the management, maintenance and development of Zimbabwe's national road network.

The Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) falls under the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Infrastructural Development and was established in August 2001, in terms of the Roads Act of 2001 with the aim of enhancing road network system throughout the Zimbabwe.^[1]

ZINARA's vision and mission is to become a world class road manager, providing secure, stable and adequate reservoir of funds, to fund effectively maintenance of the national road network through fixing, collection, disbursement and monitoring of funds usage for preservation, enhancement and sustainable development.^[2]

ZINARA is run under the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Infrastructural Development

ZINARA consists of a part-time Board of Directors which serves for a three-year period, and a full-time CEO.^[3] It has 12 board members and 7 senior managers in 7 departments.^[4]

The Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA) is responsible for managing the Road Fund and disbursing the local road authorities. The local road authorities are:

• The Department of Roads in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development which is responsible for trunk roads.

• The Urban Councils responsible for urban roads.

• The Rural District Councils (RDC) and the District Development Fund (DDF) which are responsible rural roads.^[7][8]

The road network excluding urban roads totals 76,241 km of which 9,256 km or 12.1% are bitumen surfaced.^[9][10]

Road Network Thursday, 1 November 2012 10:31 Most of these roads are more than 30 years and therefore requires complete rehabilitation works. ZINARA has in the past 9 years been able to fund the routine and periodic maintenance countrywide.

Road and Route numbers in Zimbabwe may differ depending on the route concerned.

Previously, national routes were denoted with the letter "A" followed by a number indicating the specific route. Today the "A" numbers are just Map Reference Numbers known by not much of the populace. (The term "national road" is frequently used to refer to a national route, but technically a "national road" is any road overseen by the ZINARA. A national road need not necessarily form part of a national route. )

Today primary roads on Zimbabwe are denoted with the letter "P" followed by a number indicating the specific route. Primary roads which are regional road corridors are denoted with the letter "R" followed by a number indicating the internal regional road corridor.

Unlike in South Africa where routes are clearly numbered and labeled as such, most roads in Zimbabwe are publicly known by their common names or destinations.

SOURCES: [Automobile Association Map 1975]^[12]

[Map 9.2 Road Transport Network of Zimbabwe.]^[13]

ZINARA’s core business, in consultations with the minister of transport, communication and infrastructural development is fixing road user charges and collect such charges or any other revenue of the road fund.^[19][20]

The Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA)

• Fixes the levels of road user charges (RUC).

• Collects RUC as well as other revenue of the Road Fund.

• Sets maintenance, design, construction and technical standards.

• Monitors adherence to such standards by Road Authorities.

• Allocates and disburse to road authorities funds from the Road Fund in accordingly.

• Audits the use of funds from the Road Fund.

• Monitors implementation of road maintenance works by Road Authorities.

• Assists Road Authorities in making annual or multi-year road maintenance rolling plans.

The Road Fund was established in terms of the Roads Act of 2001 with the objective to provide a stable, adequate, secure and sustainable source of funding for road maintenance work in Zimbabwe. The Road Fund comes from, Road user charges, Appropriations from Parliament and Grants. The fund is then used for routine and periodic road maintenance of roads and other roads related projects approved by the ZINARA Board.^[21]

The main source of ZINARA funds are the vehicle licence fees (30%), fuel levy (28%), toll roads (21%) and transit fees (19%). Toll roads fees could be the main contributor now because the toll gates have risen from 23 as of 2011 to 36 as of December 2015 nationwide. ^[22]

• Transport in Zimbabwe

• Ministry of Transport, Communication and Infrastructural Development

• Trans-African Highway Network