Online Reporter
Diana Nherera
Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe on Wednesday toured ongoing works on the electronic traffic management system being developed by TelOne, describing the project as a critical component of the Government’s broader digitalisation agenda aimed at improving road safety and public service delivery.
Speaking to journalists during the tour in Harare, Minister Kazembe said the system was still under development, but some milestones had already been achieved.
“I am sure you have also witnessed the milestones that have been achieved,” Minister Kazembe said.
“When everything is said and done, we will have an opportunity to present to the nation what this is.
“We will brief His Excellency, President Mnangagwa, when the project is complete and hopefully he will commission it.”
Minister Kazembe said the electronic traffic management system was being introduced against a backdrop of increasing traffic lawlessness on the country’s roads.
“We have noticed of late that people driving in our cities and on our roads have become so reckless to the extent that they ignore basic road rules,” he said.
“People are driving in opposite lanes, overtaking where they are not supposed to overtake and driving through red traffic lights. It was now a jungle.
“We have to ensure that we create an environment conducive for people to conduct their business peacefully and with peace of mind. To achieve that, we realised that we need to digitalise and computerise our systems.”
The minister said the project forms part of the ministry’s ICT Integration Strategy, which seeks to modernise operations across departments under his ministry through interconnected digital platforms.
“We started with Civil Registry, where we deployed the Zimbabwe People Population Registry System and then we came up with the Online Border Management System at Immigration,” he said.
“Now we are deploying ZRP Integrated Information System, which includes a number of systems, including this particular one.
“This is just one of many. The electronic traffic management system we are witnessing here today is one of the many systems ZRP is now trying to digitalise.
“We are doing all this in an effort to ensure that we create a conducive environment, clean, smart, safe environment for our citizens and even investors.”
Minister Kazembe said the adoption of technology was essential in responding to evolving security challenges and increasingly sophisticated forms of crime.
“We believe technology will enhance the work that the police are already doing. Crime is changing and becoming more complex, therefore we need to modernise and digitalise our systems,” he said.
He noted that similar digitalisation programmes were underway across Government ministries and departments as part of efforts to build a smart, safe and efficient public service.
The electronic traffic management system is expected to strengthen law enforcement, improve traffic monitoring and promote greater compliance with road traffic regulations once fully operational.
