The
issue
was
raised
in
Parliament
after
MP
Zivai
Mhetu
questioned
why
some
motorists
were
allegedly
being
arrested
for
driving
vehicles
without
spare
wheels,
particularly
newer
imported
models
designed
without
storage
space
for
them.
“There
are
some
motorists
who
are
being
arrested
for
not
having
a
spare
wheel,
but
when
these
cars
are
being
imported
from
other
countries,
they
have
no
space
for
a
spare
wheel,”
Mhetu
said.
He
asked
what
government
policy
applied
to
such
vehicles
and
how
authorities
were
ensuring
drivers
were
not
unfairly
penalised.
Responding
in
Parliament,
Mhona
said
the
law
requiring
motorists
to
carry
spare
wheels
remained
important
in
the
event
of
punctures
or
other
tyre-related
emergencies.
“Sometimes
this
law
is
very
important
for
us
as
road
users,”
he
said.
“When
we
face
a
challenge
with
a
wheel,
maybe
due
to
low
pressure
or
a
puncture,
we
use
the
spare
wheel
to
alleviate
the
problem.”
He
urged
drivers
of
newer
vehicle
models
to
find
ways
of
carrying
spare
wheels,
even
if
the
cars
were
not
originally
designed
with
dedicated
storage
space.
“For
the
latest
cars
being
imported
without
space
to
put
a
spare
wheel,
I
really
encourage
drivers
to
have
a
place
to
put
that
wheel
because
it
is
very
important
when
they
are
travelling,”
Mhona
said.
“Everyone
needs
to
find
a
place
to
put
that
spare
wheel.”
However,
MP
Leslie
Mhangwa
challenged
the
minister’s
position,
arguing
that
some
modern
vehicles
are
fitted
with
run-flat
tyres,
which
are
designed
to
allow
a
vehicle
to
continue
travelling
for
up
to
100km
after
a
puncture.
“The
design
of
these
new
cars
is
that
they
run
on
what
is
called
run-flat
tyres,”
Mhangwa
said.
“So
forcing
such
cars
to
have
a
spare
wheel,
would
we
not
be
fighting
technological
advancement?”
In
response,
Mhona
said
that
while
run-flat
tyres
offered
temporary
mobility,
they
could
still
fail
completely
in
certain
circumstances.
“You
can
only
talk
of
a
flat
tyre
when
it
is
the
normal
course
of
business.
If
it
ruptures,
you
need
to
replace
it,”
he
said.
The
minister
maintained
that
the
requirement
was
intended
to
protect
motorists
rather
than
serve
as
a
policing
measure.
“This
is
for
your
own
safety,”
he
said.
“We
are
saying
to
the
people
of
Zimbabwe,
you
need
to
carry
this
in
the
event
that
the
other
tyre
is
ruptured.
It
is
not
for
the
police,
it
is
for
us.”