Mangochi to have CoF processing facility

Motorists in Mangochi will no longer travel long distances to access vehicle inspection services as Plant and Vehicle Hire and Engineering Services (PVHES) is setting up an inspection facility in the district.

Currently, motorists travel either to Zomba, Blantyre or Lilongwe to obtain certificates of fitness (CoF) for their vehicles.

In an interview on Monday, Mangochi PVHES in-charge Elias Chintedza said the facility will help motorists from within Mangochi and surrounding areas such as  Monkey Bay and Namwera.

He said: “The demand for vehicle inspection services is high.

“The facility is expected to be ready in two months and it will be able to assist 20 vehicles in a day.”

Chintedza also said the facility will have a mechanical bay to fix vehicles that have not passed the fitness test.

In a separate interview, Evans Malizani, a taxi driver, who operates on the Namwera-Chiponde route, said the facility will cut travel costs incurred to have vehicles inspected in Zomba or Blantyre.

“When there are network glitches, we are forced to spend a night or travel again the next day to access the services,” he said.

In October 2014, the Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services (DRTSS) invited expressions of interest from private garages and motor vehicle dealers to operate such facilities.

The DRTSS said the private garages and vehicle dealers would be granted a five-year licence with subsequent renewals for two-year period.