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Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS Football Club players will have to wait a little longer before they can ride on their new luxurious bus acquired from South Africa to matches as it still has to be registered.

Bosso took delivery of the coach last Saturday at an official presentation ceremony presided over by Vice-President Emmerson Mnanganwa at Barbourfields Stadium.

Highlanders need to register the bus with Zinara through Zimra, who will give them a motor vehicle registration book and number plates, since the luxury coach is an import.

The process of getting the bus compliant with statutory requirements will take about three weeks, meaning that if the process is expedited they may use the coach on June 28 for the away encounter against Dynamos in Harare when league matches resume following a two-week break.

To get the number plates, the Bulawayo giants have to start by obtaining a police clearance from the Vehicle Theft Squad after the cops have checked with their South African counterparts that the bus was properly acquired.

This process, according to sources, takes about 24 hours.

Armed with a police clearance, the Bulawayo giants will then proceed to Zimra where they are expected to produce a customs clearance certificate, motor vehicle insurance and other documentation needed by the taxmen before getting the number plates.

Number plates will cost Bosso $160.

Just like in getting a police clearance taking into account that all their documents are in order, Highlanders would have the plates ready, at most after two days.

The process that will gobble most of the time is the application for an operator’s licence, which takes up to two weeks.

Bosso will attach passenger insurance to the operator’s licence when taking the coach to be examined by the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID), who will issue them with a road worthiness certificate if the bus has no defects.

The Bulawayo giants also need about five days to apply for a permit.

Bosso chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede said they are in the process of getting the bus registered.

“The bus is now at our disposal and we’re grateful to our member Tshinga Dube, who helped land it here. Now we’ve to start the process of getting it registered and I’m sure it’ll take some time, but we’ll try to do it as quickly as possible,” said Gumede.