“Taxi Drivers Wouldn’t Care”: Mzansi Not Impressed by Botswana Robot With a Countdown Timer

• A South African man visiting Botswana filmed something at a traffic light that left people back home seriously questioning the state of South African roads
• Botswana launched a massive traffic management system in December 2025 that has already cut travel times across Greater Gaborone by more than half
• South Africans flooded the comments after watching the clip, many frustrated that a neighbouring country is running smarter roads than one of Africa’s biggest economies

South Africans are used to sitting at a red robot with absolutely no idea when it will turn green. One man’s trip to Botswana changed that perspective fast.

Duwann Wannenburg was driving through Gaborone on 22 February 2026 when he pulled up to a traffic light unlike anything he had seen back home. The robot had a 60-second countdown timer ticking away above the signal. It showed drivers exactly how long they had before the light changed. Wannenburg posted the clip on Facebook the same day and asked if Botswana was pulling ahead of Mzansi. South Africans watching from home could not believe what they were seeing, right next door.

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Eight years in the making

What Wannenburg stumbled upon was an initiative by Botswana President Duma Boko. He officially launched the Traffic Signals Modernisation and Centralised Traffic Control Centre for Gaborone and the surrounding areas in December 2025.

The project commenced in November 2017 and carries a contract duration of 123 months. It covers design, construction, installation, and maintenance through to February 2028. That is eight years of planning before a single countdown timer blinked on. The total cost of the project came to over R640 million.

The system integrates over 3,600 traffic signals, more than 200 advanced detectors, CCTV cameras, incident detection cameras, speed control cameras, and red-light. All are managed from a centralised control centre. The centre itself features a fiber-optic communication network, a giant monitoring screen, dedicated workstations for engineers, and a crisis room built for rapid emergency response coordination.

Watch the Facebook video below:

Mzansi reacts to the traffic light innovation

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Briefly News compiled a series of comments from South Africans who were not impressed by the innovation.

Lali Skhovasomkhonto commented:

“Taxi drivers would enter the robot 10 seconds before it could turn green.”

Vusimuzi Xulu said:

“Looks like a countdown for drag-racing.”

Lleka Mosanyane Matsobane Phillip-Johannes wrote:

“This will tell smash-and-grab guys how much time they have before the vehicle starts moving.”

Anele Q noted:

“You will find that thing counting down in someone's shack.”

Owen Seanego said:

"In South Africa,we look left and right. If we don't see any police & there are no cars coming,we pass. Timers are for microwaves."

More articles about Botswana

• Briefly News previously reported that South Africa and Botswana are considering relocating the Groblersbrug border post as congestion worsens due to freight traffic diverting from Beitbridge.
• Botswana is investigating allegations that two of its young nationals were trafficked to Russia through a fake recruitment scam.
• Rachel Kolisi shared a glimpse into a special mommy and daughter getaway to Botswana, leaving social media users in awe of her trip and her passion for conservation.

Source: Briefly News