City clarifies ownership of branded vehicles

**Ivan Zhakata **

Herald Correspondent

THE City of Harare has clarified that vehicles bearing its coat of arms or logo are not necessarily council assets, adding that ownership is determined by official contractual and asset documentation.

The clarification comes amid questions over the ownership of vehicles carrying municipal branding, with Council emphasising that ownership is established through official records and documentation rather than the logo displayed on a vehicle.

Council spokesperson Mr Stanley Gama said municipal branding only indicated operational use, institutional affiliation or authorisation and did not, on its own, confer ownership.

“Legal ownership is determined by the relevant contractual and asset documentation, including acquisition records, asset registers, handover documentation and applicable registration records with the Central Vehicle Registry (CVR),” he said.

Mr Gama said vehicles acquired under donor-funded programmes, joint ventures or contractor arrangements, could be branded with the City’s logo during project implementation to facilitate field operations and identify their association with Council projects.

He explained that the use of the Council’s branding did not transfer ownership where the vehicles remained the property of contractors, donors or implementing partners.

“Where a vehicle remains the property of a contractor, donor or implementing partner, ownership remains with that entity”.

Mr Gama said project vehicles could only become Council assets after completion of the required handover and commissioning processes, execution of ownership documentation and their inclusion in the Council’s asset register.

Where applicable, he said, the vehicles must also be reflected in the relevant CVR records.

Mr Gama also clarified the ownership of vehicles bearing the City’s branding and operated by the Harare Municipal Medical Aid Society (HMMAS).

He said HMMAS, despite its close institutional relationship with Council and its role in providing services to municipal employees, was a separate legal entity.

“Vehicles acquired and funded by HMMAS are therefore assets of the Society and are administered in accordance with its governing framework and the decisions of its Board”.

Mr Gama said the use of the City’s coat of arms or logo on HMMAS vehicles reflected the historical and institutional relationship between the Society and Council, but did not make the vehicles Council property.