At several major intersections along Harare’s busiest corridors, Seke Road and Dieppe Road, Chiremba Road and Glenara Avenue, and Robert Mugabe Road and Julius Nyerere Way, a curious scene unfolds almost daily. The traffic lights are fully operational. The signals change as designed. Yet traffic police officers stand in the middle of the junction, whistles sharp against the noise, manually directing vehicles.

The Ministry of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion has rejected a recommendation by Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for the State to assume legacy debts owed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ), warning that such a move would strain the national budget and undermine funding for essential public services.