THE Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) says its planned smart traffic management system will help curb corruption on the country’s roads, amid growing concern that bribery at roadblocks is contributing to Zimbabwe’s worsening road accident fatalities.
Speaking in Harare last week during the launch of the Comesa Yellow Card USSD verification application, ZRP Assistant Commissioner Gajiwett Gomo conceded that corruption remains a major challenge in traffic enforcement.
His comments followed questions on how the police intend to address bribery as Zimbabwe continues to record one of the highest road accident fatality rates in the region.
Gomo said the current manual verification system is slow, inefficient and vulnerable to abuse, creating opportunities for corrupt interactions between motorists and officers.
“I think you know the huge challenges which we are facing in terms of the traffic management system now, and we hope that when we actually put technology in the smart traffic management system, we are bound to get a lot of benefits,” he said.
“It may take time to verify if the driver’s licence is valid, it’s a challenge to validate the particulars of the road, but when we automate the traffic management of a person, we will see that there will be quick … we will have an improved, effective efficiency.”
Gomo openly acknowledged the prevalence of corruption: “Of course, corruption, we cannot say it’s not there. But it will be an issue we are fighting against.”
He said automation would significantly reduce opportunities for illicit dealings.
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“If you commit an offence in town, you are captured by the cameras … If you want to pay, you just pay online. You don’t pay for the safety. You don’t pay for the security. So that is the biggest issue, the issue of corruption,” Gomo said.
The ZRP confirmed it is moving ahead with plans to roll out the smart traffic system, which is expected to introduce real-time verification, digital ticketing and automated enforcement.
Gomo said the police were “pursuing the implementation of the smart traffic management system” and were confident the technology would “improve operational efficiency”.
He assured the public that the transition to automation is driven by a commitment to safety: “Your safety and security are our top priority, and this new application will reflect our unwavering commitment to this goal.”
The launch of the Comesa Africa Yellow Card verification platform comes as Zimbabwe continues to grapple with a surge in road carnage. Authorities and transport safety advocates have repeatedly warned that vehicles that are not roadworthy, speeding and corrupt policing practices are fuelling the country’s rising road traffic accidents death toll.
