Authorities in Harare have announced plans to introduce double lanes at selected controlled points along Seke Road in a bid to ease traffic congestion during peak hours. Seke Road is the main arterial route linking the capital to Chitungwiza and surrounding areas, and has experienced mounting congestion in recent years due to rapid population growth and expanding residential developments.

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.