Decentralization and district development planning in Zimbabwe
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.4230100406 |
| Date | 01 October 1990 |
| Published date | 01 October 1990 |
| Author | N. D. Mutizwa‐Mangiza |
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT,
Vol.
10,423435 (19%)
Decentralization and district development planning in
Zimbabwe
N. D. MUTIZWA-MANGIZA
Habitat
SUMMARY
One of the most important dimensions
of
rural development policy in Zimbabwe since indepen-
dence has been rural local government reform, in particular decentralization policy. Evidence
from a number of recent studies is used to present a comprehensive review of Zimbabwe’s
experience of local government decentralization during the first eight years
of
independence,
1980 to 1988. Section
2
presents a brief outline
of
some basic concepts on decentralization
which have guided the discussion. Section
3
contains a short account
of
the local government
system inherited from the colonial era. Section
4
outlines the major post-independence reforms,
that is: the 1980 District Councils Act; the 1984-85 Prime Minister’s Directive on Decentral-
ization; the 1985 Provincial Councils and Administration Act; and the 1988 Rural District
Councils Act. Section
5
presents an assessment of these reforms, paying particular attention
to organizational, financial and planning issues. While some important improvements have
been achieved in rural Communal Areas-in particular the extension
of
services and increases
in local revenues and popular participation-the system
of
local government and adminis-
tration remains a dual one. Other problems include the gap between the planning and budgeting
processes, continued financial dependence
of
district councils on central government, and
a lack of serious effort by central government to make use of provincial and district development
plans.
INTRODUCTION
One of the most significant rural development policies that has been implemented
in Zimbabwe since independence is that of local government reform. The process
of reform started with the enactment of the 1980 District Councils Act, whose main
aim was to revive rural local government, following
a
period of intensified guerrilla
warfare. This was followed by a decentralization policy, which was initiated in 1984,
with the release of the Prime Minister’s Directive (Zimbabwe Government, 1984
and 1985a). The most recent change has been the move towards amalgamation of
rural councils (covering the large scale commercial farming areas) and district councils
(covering communal areas), through the Rural District Councils Act which was
passed in mid-1988.
The main purpose of this paper is to review local government reform in Zimbabwe
since independence, focusing on decentralization and planning at the district level.
Because of its recent instigation only a few observations on the 1988 Rural District
Councils Act are made. Thus, effectively, the review covers the period 1980 to mid-
Dr Mutinva-Mangiza is in the Research and Development Division
of
the United Nations Centre
for
Human Settlements (HABITAT), PO Box
30030,
Nairobi, Kenya.
027
1-2075/90/040423-13%06.50
0
1990 by John Wiley
&
Sons, Ltd.
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