Urban Local Government Service Delivery in Post-Mugabe Zimbabwe

Abstract

Urban local government -It is the lowest tier of government responsible for the administration of local affairs and service provision in cities, towns, and smaller urban settings. Above it is provincial and metropolitan councils and national government.Service delivery -It is the statutory duty of urban councils to provide services such as road construction and maintenance, primary health care, water supply, and waste management. The process of making these services available to urban dwellers is called service delivery.Post-Mugabe Zimbabwe -President Robert Mugabe, a man who ruled Zimbabwe since 18 April 1980 was removed from office on 17 November 2017 in a process involving the military, members of the ruling ZANU-PF party, the opposition, and ordinary Zimbabweans. The period following Mugabe's ouster from the office is referred to as post-Mugabe Zimbabwe.

The Role of State Control in the Implementation of Legislation on Local Self-Government

“…Using the example of the former African colonies of Great Britain and current members of the Commonwealth, Marumahoko (2020) demonstrates that state control over compliance with legislation on local self-government is primarily a means of preserving the territorial integrity of the state. Granting broad powers at the local level carries risks of separatism, especially in a nationally heterogeneous society with ethnic and cultural diversity.…”

Central-Local Relations in Zimbabwe

“…With subnational government focusing on local public service delivery, central government can concentrate on issues of national importance such as macroeconomic policies, security, defence, foreign policy, and international relations (Allain-Dupré, 2018). Public services provided by the local government include road construction and maintenance, water treatment and supply, health services, and solid waste management (Marumahoko, 2020b). Facilitation, advice, directing, capacity building, and promotion are some of the national government's roles and responsibilities as it interacts with the local government in Zimbabwe (Chakaipa, 2010).…”

“…Local authorities are the basic tier of the governmental system in Zimbabwe (Marumahoko, 2020c). They are distributed across the eight non-metropolitan provinces and are comprised of 28 urban councils and 60 rural councils, with 6-8 rural councils in each province (See Table 2).…”