Exploring Local Governance Challenges in Zimbabwe under the Government of National Unity era and beyond (original) (raw)
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DISCUSSS THE MAJOR CHALLENGES FACED BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN ZIMBABWE
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, Harare-THE Political Independence of Zimbabwe came after a protracted struggle against white colonial rule by liberation movements led by the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA), the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) and the nationalist leaders. The political leadership of the liberation movements organised, mass mobilised and rallied the black citizenry and sustainably fought against a repressive white minority which had sophisticated weaponry and a strong bureaucracy that entrenched the marginalisation of the black majority population. This paper focuses mainly on the provision of housing, water and sanitation in Harare in reflecting on the Independence Day in Zimbabwe. Chikwanha (2005) recognises that housing is a status symbol for the rural and urban population. The UN (2014) regards water as a strategic resource which must be jealously safeguarded by Governments. In this paper, the author critiques why the liberation struggle was fought and then goes on to articulate the experiences of residents in areas of service delivery, focusing on the key issues highlighted earlier. It will be argued that service delivery continues to suffer at the hands of bureaucrats and policymakers running our urban local authorities, further excluding and marginalising the poor members of society. As the nation remembers the fight against the white minority political and administrative rule, the Harare Residents Trust (HRT) recognises that Zimbabwe attained political independence from colonial bondage but still has a long way to go in attaining constitutionalism after the adoption of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Act (No. 20) of 2013. The organisation which the author leads acknowledges the supreme sacrifices made by the dedicated men and women of Zimbabwe who took arms and dethroned the repressive regime that had kept the majority bonded to the periphery of political activity. Through this paper, it is argued that the attainment of political independence alone does not translate to the realisation of human rights, human dignity and freedom for the ordinary citizens. The nationalists focused mainly on wrestling power from the whites to them, while the masses wanted a revolutionary system that would place them at the heart of the governance system in Zimbabwe. These dreams remain alive in the majority today as they try to find their own feet. According to (Mhanda, 2005) the purpose for which the liberation struggle was waged was " articulated as a struggle for self-determination, democracy, freedom, social justice, human dignity and peace. These encapsulated the hopes and aspirations of the indigenous African people of Zimbabwe. " These views are shared by the HRT as a social movement fighting for social justice, human dignity, freedom and the respect of the institutions that provide the citizenry with essential public services. The struggles of the residents in urban areas have a distinct mark to them-they are fighting to be treated with human dignity, and the authorities are expected to deal with them in a fair and democratic manner regardless of social or economic status. Mhanda (2005) argues that during the liberation struggle, the petit bourgeoisies, the educated and enlightened African nationalists in Zimbabwe were waging a war that was different from the poor peasants in rural areas who were totally opposed to the white racial system. The elites were fighting to be treated equally to their white counterparts, meaning they merely wanted a reformation of the existing repressive
2009
This article explores the criticalness of decentralized governance as a solution towards service delivery challenges experienced by urban centres. But, in Zimbabwe centre-local relations are a phenomenological reflection of a tendency towards (re)centralization than decentralization. This is clearly visible in the widespread political interference by central government's Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing in the administrative affairs of urban councils. The results from a survey of a sample of fifty-two respondents on the Zimbabwean urban governance status revealed that issues of political interference revolved around the firing of legitimate councils and mayors, control of all council reforms including generation of funds, politicking in the chambers, unlawful appointments, and the use of commissions. Constitutional amendment has been cited as a big step towards political interference in urban governance of the country.
Local government reform in Zimbabwe: A policy dialogue
On 3-4 November 2009 the Community Law Centre hosted a seminar entitled “Policy Dialogue on the Future of Local Government in Zimbabwe”. A diverse spectrum of local government practitioners was assembled to discuss issues related to local government in Zimbabwe. The seminar was structured around six critical themes relating to local government, namely socio-economic transformation, local government institutions and elections, local government financing, traditional authorities, local government functions and supervision of local government. Six authors from Zimbabwe prepared and delivered position papers on the above subject matters against the background of comparative comments from South African academics.