Online Reporter
Trust Freddy-Herald Correspondent
GOVERNMENT has warned motorists that traffic cameras installed in Harare are operational and fines for all offences captured will be back-dated once Treasury finalises banking arrangements.
The warning comes as kombis and mushikashikas continue to flout traffic rules at major intersections fitted with cameras, apparently under the impression that nothing is being done.
Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe said the Electronic Traffic Management System was already operational and accumulating evidence against offenders.
Responding to questions in the Senate on Thursday, Minister Kazembe said the new system has been recording offences since going live early this year and fines shall be back-dated.
“I want to inform the residents of Zimbabwe that the cameras are already effective and they are capturing crimes that are being committed. As we say, ‘a crime never dies’.
“Tinoda kuzivisa vagari vemuZimbabwe kuti mhosva hairove. Macamera aya ari kutobata mhosva),” he said.
“For now we are not yet issuing fines because we are waiting for consultations between the police, Treasury and TelOne on the allocation of funds and the payment mechanism. We agreed that there shall be revenue sharing once TelOne completes the project.”
He further stated that the police had compiled a comprehensive register of offenders who would in due course, be summoned.
“For that process to be effected, consensus must be reached regarding the financial institution into which the fines will be deposited, a matter currently under consideration. The surveillance cameras are, however, already operational and recording offences,” the minister said.
Data on all motorists violating traffic laws is being gathered.
“We possess a register of all persons committing violations, together with video evidence of infractions such as proceeding through a red traffic signal and the use of cellular devices while driving. All such evidence is being collated, as an offence does not lapse with time,” Minister Kazembe said.
“Upon finalisation of all administrative processes, we shall proceed to retrospectively enforce all recorded offences, as the evidence is available. This constitutes the first phase of implementation. The programme will subsequently be extended to Bulawayo, Mutare and other major urban centres.”
At Jason Moyo and Fourth Street, kombis and mushikashika are brazenly operating at the robot despite cameras overlooking the intersection.
At Julius Nyerere Way and Robert Mugabe Road, kombis on the Chitungwiza illegal rank are also operating in full view of the cameras.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Ambassador Raphael Faranisi, also confirmed that more than 1,1 million road traffic violations had been flagged as at the beginning of this month.
“As of last week, we had recorded a total of about 1,1 million vehicles that had violated traffic laws, and these were recorded on the various traffic cameras installed across the city,” he said.
“However, we are still validating these offences. Probably at the time the violation was committed, the intersection was being controlled by a police officer. Then, in some instances, maybe the markings on the road were not clear enough. Those are some of the verifications that we are working on.”
Authorities said the verification process is expected to eliminate erroneous records before enforcement begins, to ensure motorists are only held accountable for genuine violations.
The high-tech cameras detect speeding, failure to obey road signs and traffic lights, use of mobile phones while driving, and failure to wear seatbelts, among other breaches.
Government intends to install more than 300 cameras in Harare before rolling out the programme to other cities.
