Online Reporter
Peter Matika, [email protected]
GOVERNMENT has concluded the development of an automated smart traffic management system capable of detecting road violations in real time, and is ready to launch it full scale across the country, marking a major shift towards technology-driven law enforcement aimed at improving road safety and reducing human interface.
The system, developed by the Ministry of Information Communication Technology (ICT), Postal and Courier Services in partnership with TelOne, uses surveillance cameras to identify offences such as driving through red lights, illegal parking and other traffic violations.
In an interview, ICT, Postal and Courier Services Minister Tatenda Mavetera, said the platform is already in place and awaiting official launch after receiving Cabinet approval.
“We have developed a system where traffic offences are automatically detected through cameras, including driving through red lights and dangerous parking, among other road violations,” she said.
The initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is leading the programme, alongside the Ministry of Transport and local authorities.
“We are chairing the ICT development, but the Ministry of Home Affairs is leading the programme. The Ministry of Home Affairs came up with the ICT management system,” said Minister Mavetera.
“We are working together and TelOne will be the designated company in charge of the implementation.”
Minister Mavetera said the project has been in operation but is now being developed further.
She said the introduction of the system reflects the Government’s commitment to leveraging digital solutions to improve service delivery and public safety.
“The system will be managed collaboratively by the Ministry of ICT, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Transport and local authorities,” she said.
Minister Mavetera expressed optimism that the system will curb reckless driving by improving compliance with traffic regulations thereby reducing road accidents, which have remained a major concern across the country.
She said once launched, the system is expected to usher in a new era of automated law enforcement which reduces the need for manual traffic policing while improving efficiency and transparency.
The latest development comes against the backdrop of ongoing efforts by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to modernise traffic enforcement through technology-driven systems.
Police have been gradually introducing electronic traffic management measures, including the installation of surveillance cameras at selected intersections and the adoption of digital systems to monitor road offences.
Commenting on the development, national police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the Zimbabwe Republic Police is fully aligned with the Commissioner-General’s vision of leveraging modern technology to combat crime, stressing that embracing innovation is now imperative in effective law enforcement.
“We are reiterating the sentiments of the Commissioner-General on the urgent need for the police service to embrace technology in the fight against crime. Criminals are evolving, and so must our methods,” he said. “Through the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, we are already engaging relevant authorities and stakeholders to ensure that these technological systems are brought to fruition.”
Comm Nyathi said the adoption of such systems would also significantly impact road safety, warning motorists against reckless behaviour.
These initiatives have been part of a broader strategy to reduce human interface in traffic enforcement, curb corruption and improve compliance with road regulations. Authorities have also been piloting the use of integrated databases to track repeat offenders and streamline the issuance of fines, laying the groundwork for a fully automated system.
The new smart platform is expected to consolidate these efforts by linking camera detection systems to a centralised database, enabling real-time monitoring, instant identification of offenders and efficient penalty processing.
The initiative is also part of Zimbabwe’s broader digital transformation agenda, which seeks to integrate technology into critical sectors, including transport, law enforcement and urban management.
Zimbabwe has already stepped up efforts to fast-track transition into a digitally-driven economy, with a strong emphasis on harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) as a catalyst for industrialisation and economic transformation.
Earlier Minister Mavetera engaged stakeholders during the 2026 Digital Economy Conference, held on the sidelines of the 66th edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.
Running under the theme: “Accelerating Zimbabwe’s Digital Economy: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Action
Towards Vision 2030” the conference drew local and international delegates, policymakers and industry leaders to deliberate on strategies to position Zimbabwe as a competitive player in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“In the new world it’s not the big fish, which eats the small fish, but the fast fish, which eats the slow fish.
“Zimbabwe must be fast. We must not be spectators in this revolution, but active participants and confident leaders,” said Minister Mavetera.
She said the recent launch of the Zimbabwe National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2026–2030) by President Mnangagwa was a defining milestone in the country’s digital transformation journey.
“The President made it clear that our AI journey must be rooted in sovereignty and identity.
“We must build systems that understand our values, speak our languages and solve our unique national challenges,” said Minister Mavetera.
She commended Rwanda’s Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire, who attended the conference virtually as guest of honour, for her country’s leadership in digital governance and AI readiness.
“Rwanda has become a proof of concept that an African nation can leapfrog legacy systems through visionary leadership and strategic investments in technology,” said Minister Mavetera.
She announced that Government is moving from policy formulation to practical execution, with the establishment of the Zimbabwe National Innovation Acceleration Centre (NIAC) at the ZITF grounds.
“The NIAC will bridge the gap between ideas and industry, ensuring that innovation reaches our factories, farms, hospitals and classrooms while empowering young Zimbabweans to become job creators,” said Minister Mavetera.
“We are building a Zimbabwe where a farmer in Tsholotsho can access AI-powered climate intelligence, a student in Binga can benefit from world-class digital education, and a young entrepreneur in Mbare can develop solutions for global markets.”
The conference follows a successful virtual session held earlier this month and is expected to produce actionable outcomes, including partnerships, investment commitments and innovation-driven projects.
“We don’t need more documents that gather dust. We need measurable results, jobs created through innovation and a digital economy that delivers prosperity,” said Minister Mavetera.
She added that artificial intelligence presents Africa with an opportunity to shift from exporting raw materials to producing knowledge-based solutions, quoting renowned AI expert Andrew Ng, who has described AI as “the new electricity.”
Before wasting resources, government must be advised that this mish-mash style of projects implementation will not generate any benefit to the country. In fact it is going to create more chaos. We don’t have good roads, we don’t have working traffic control systems, we don’t have good follow up systems, we don’t have skills to keep these systems running yet we want to implement systems that require all these. Why don’t we apply our minds to such projects properly first, generate reports that can be interrogated by experts, put all resources together, in this case, fix our roads, fix our traffic lights, put all the necessary requirements together, hardware, software, skills, power, etc before getting so excited? Our ICT Ministry is floating like a butterfly generating very little substance along the way. Very few people, if any, understand the concept application of Artificial Intelligence. It is just a buzz word that everyone likes to utter. Zimbabwe does not have any credible data from which it can create AI tools. It doesn’t have well established data centres and skills to create AI tools anyway. Africa as a continent doesn’t have capabilities to understand AI hence a lot of systems have erroneously been referred to as AI driven. Our future is going to be more chaotic than it is now.