By 
At least half of Harare’s traffic lights are not working, with some remaining out of service for years, raising concerns over road safety and municipal efficiency.
Several key intersections, such as Corner Southerton and Highfields, have gone without functioning traffic lights for extended periods. In Borrowdale, two sets of traffic signals have been broken for over two years. More recently, a newly installed traffic light at Corner Harare Drive was damaged in an accident over a week ago, yet there has been no action from the Harare City Council to restore it.
The situation is even worse in the city center, where numerous traffic lights are non-functional. At the intersection of Samora Machel Avenue and Roadsville, the failure of traffic signals appears to have been normalized. “The worst-case scenario,” said Councilor Nkomo, “is asking Mayor Jacob Mafume about Samora Machel Avenue, where it seems the city has accepted that these traffic lights will never work.”
By Ruvarashe Gora
The extent of the problem remains contested. Harare Mayor Mafume stated that out of Harare’s 218 traffic lights, 150 are operational, while 103 remain non-functional, translating to a 52.8% functionality rate. However, Nkomo disputed this, arguing that 65% of the city’s traffic lights were not working, contradicting the mayor’s figures.
According to Mafume, traffic lights in Harare face various challenges, including vandalism, stolen components, and damage from underground pipe leaks. To address the crisis, he outlined a financial strategy, proposing that revenue from city parking be allocated toward traffic light repairs. “To have standard traffic lights in the city center alone, we need between $500,000 and $700,000,” he explained.
The City Father also highlighted efforts to switch traffic lights to solar power, but implementation has been slow due to security concerns. He said building owners near intersections have agreed to house control components on their premises to prevent theft, a plan initiated mid-2024 but still awaiting execution under the 2025 budget.
COUNCILLOR Nkomo, however, dismissed the financial argument, insisting that the prolonged outages at key intersections indicate incompetence rather than resource constraints. “If this were just a funding issue, why have some traffic lights remained out for more than three years?” he questioned.
The issue of non-functional traffic lights has been a persistent challenge in Harare, with brief improvements noted only when the city was preparing for major events like the SADC Summit. Despite these temporary fixes, long-term solutions remain elusive, leaving motorists and pedestrians to navigate increasingly hazardous intersections.
Comments