Wave after Wave
JUNE 2021
3.1 Our Recommendations
Service delivery is the fundamental function of developmental local government. Services
such as waste management, water and health services are closely associated with the wellbeing of urban dwellers.
During the process of the making of the 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe, there was a general
consensus that devolution of services and functions to local government was key in paving
way for localized service delivery solutions.
It was a major victory when local government was elevated and given constitutional
protection and as a result, there were great expectations that service delivery would improve
in the cities, towns and smaller urban centres.
Eight years later, those expectations are nowhere in sight and it appears urban service delivery
is deteriorating and there has been little effort to fully implement devolution, and the
politicization of urban councils has further slowed any progress. In light of all this, we proffer
the following recommendations.
Vision 2030: Zimbabwe’s achievement of the Vision 2030 set by President Emmerson
Mnangagwa’s administration to make the country a middle income society will not be
achieved unless local public service delivery is fundamentally transformed. In light of this, we
call on the government to show political will to ensure the improvement of service delivery
and to invest in the setting up and maintenance of requisite infrastructure.
Devolution: The implementation of genuine and effective devolution measures should go
beyond the political talk that it is right now. Devolution should be implemented as spelt out in
the Constitution, which recognizes a three-tier system of government, and this is an ‘indicator
of the depth of decentralization, and the ability to bring government close to the people it is
supposed to serve’. Devolution is recognised as one of the Founding Values and Principles to
the Constitution and is therefore a fundamental aspect of governance in Zimbabwe.
Although not entirely independent from the central government, devolved local authorities
enjoy a certain degree political, fiscal and administrative autonomy, which helps them manage
their resources in a more efficient and localized way.
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