Freeman Razemba
MORE THAN 40 000 road traffic violations are being recorded daily in Harare, underlining the extent of bad driving behaviour in the capital, with over six million offences having been captured since the inception of the artificial-intelligence smart traffic management system in June this year.
The violations have been recorded at about 20 traffic intersections in the central business district.
However, the monitored junctions represent less than 25 percent of locations targeted for deployment of the smart cameras.
Speaking at the High-Level Road Safety Indaba in Harare on Friday, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe said the figures demonstrated both the effectiveness of the technology and the extent of reckless driving behaviour on the country’s roads.
To complement the new system, the Government is now moving towards introducing a driver penalty points system that could see repeat offenders losing their licences.
“The success recorded so far since the operationalisation of this system in June this year is not only promising but also clear evidence of the best foot forward in road traffic enforcement,” he said.
“I am pleased to share with you that during this period, over six million violations have been detected, representing well over 40 000 violations a day, yet the system has only been functional at less than 25 percent of Harare’s targeted points. The worrying part of these figures is that every violation represents a potential accident, given that they were detected only at road intersections in Harare.”
The Government is now working on introducing the Road Traffic (Driver Penalty Point Demerit System) Regulations, under which motorists who repeatedly violate traffic rules could accumulate penalty points and risk having their driver’s licences suspended or cancelled.
The proposed system will introduce additional consequences for motorists who persistently and flagrantly disregard road regulations.
The smart traffic management system, Minister Kazembe said, was designed to promote responsible road use through technology-driven enforcement, reducing dependence on the physical presence of police officers at intersections.
He said the cameras were capable of detecting several offences, including changing lanes across continuous lines, proceeding through red traffic lights, failure to wear seat belts, using cellphones while driving and dangerous parking at intersections.
However, the system incorporates human validation to ensure that motorists are not unfairly penalised for circumstances beyond their control.
“All these violations are captured in both still images and short video footage, which are subjected to human validation before notifications are sent to the registered vehicle owner.
“This is deliberate, as it allows for the rejection of violations that could have been caused by factors beyond the driver’s control, such as police-controlled intersections, broken-down vehicles and invisible transverse lines,” he said.
After validation, motorists are notified of the offences and given the option of paying the prescribed fines or appearing in court.
Those disputing violations can approach the command centre to lodge their complaints, while payments can be made online or at designated police establishments in Harare.
Minister Kazembe said the Government intended to expand the system to other towns and cities while increasing the number of monitored junctions in Harare.
He acknowledged that implementation had encountered teething challenges, including difficulties arising from outdated or inadequate vehicle ownership records.
Motorists were urged to ensure that their vehicle ownership particulars were up to date, in accordance with the Vehicle Registration and Licensing Act, to facilitate the effective operation of the system.
The Government is also working on improving road infrastructure to ensure that motorists can comply with traffic regulations and that the technology operates effectively.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona said the Government had introduced several legislative and operational interventions, although enforcement remained a major challenge.
Among the measures already introduced is Statutory Instrument (SI) 118 of 2023, which provides for speed-limiting and monitoring devices.
Minister Mhona said enforcement of the regulations remained inadequate, calling for stronger institutional capacity and coordination among road safety stakeholders.
The Government also introduced SI 10 of 2025, which raised the minimum age for driving public passenger-carrying vehicles to 30 years, with a minimum of five years’ driving experience.
The authorities, Minister Mhona added, were working on additional legislative frameworks to strengthen road safety and regulate the transport sector.
These include the proposed Road Traffic (Driver Penalty Point Demerit System) Regulations, regulations governing driving hours for public service vehicle drivers and amendments to laws prohibiting the use of communication devices while driving.
Other proposed measures include regulations governing driving schools and e-hailing services.
