City of Harare has clarified a report by The Herald on 27 May 2021 alleging that the local authority blames the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) for traffic congestion in all parts of Harare.
Posting Twitter on Wednesday, Harare City Council said it had asked the police to remove a roadblock just after the Mbudzi roundabout because it was causing congestion at the busy traffic circle.
In another post on the microblogging site this Thursday, the local authority said the story by The Herald is misleading. Council said:
The intro in today’s Herald is misleading in that it is giving the impression of blame on ZRP. Council was giving feedback to stakeholders in response to complaints of congestion at Mbudzi Roundabout.
The feedback was to the effect that council had requested ZRP to remove the roadblock at the busy traffic circle. The statement was purely made as feedback to residents and not a blanket statement on roadblocks across the city. Council enjoys cordial working relations with ZRP.
Council regrets any discomfort that might have been caused by the blanket @HeraldZimbabwe report.
The government recently established an inter-ministerial committee to tackle the congestion on many city roads.
The inter-ministerial committee recommended the elimination of pirate kombis and mushikashika, repairing urgently critical non-functioning traffic lights, improving traffic control at congested junctions, repairing road surfaces at junctions and putting in kerbs to prevent U-turns.