The concept of Devolution

Devolution refers to the statutory granting of powers from the government of a sovereign
state to government to government at a sub national level (Muchadenyika, 2015). As a result
they enjoy liberty from the centre. This implies that any one level of government is not under
any obligation to refer to or seek authority from the centre in order to make or implement
decisions that fall within their exclusive jurisdiction. However, they must recognize that they
are part of the larger state. The ultimate objective of devolving powers is to develop a
democratic system of governance and an adequate provision of basic services (Cannon and
Ali, 2018).

Devolution of power is enshrined in Zimbabwe’s new 2013 Constitution as one of the

country’s founding values and principles. Zimbabwe’s statutory objectives for the devolution
of governmental powers and responsibilities include (Muchadenyika, 2015):

(a) to give powers of local governance to the people and enhance their participation in the
exercise of the powers of the State and in making decisions affecting them (b) to promote
democratic, effective, transparent, accountable and coherent government of Zimbabwe as a
whole (c) to preserve and foster the peace, national unity and indivisibility of Zimbabwe (d)
to recognise the right of communities to manage their own affairs and to further their
development (e) to ensure the equitable sharing of local and national resources (f) to transfer
responsibilities and resources from the national government in order to establish a sound
financial base for each provincial and metropolitan council and local authority.

Devolution of power is a concept of ensuring that legislative and executive power is shared
and distributed to different levels or tiers of government. In South Africa power is devolved
at provincial and municipal level to nine provinces and 278 municipalities. The rationale of
devolving power to multiple levels of government is to primarily ensure that (Cannon and
Ali, 2018):
 Citizens participate in decision-making through level governance structures;
 Service delivery is accessible;
 Government is closer to the people; and
 Greater accountability and transparency in resource and public finance
management.
Zimbabwe’s new Constitution adopted in May 2013 states that governmental powers and
responsibilities must be devolved between the national government, provincial and
metropolitan councils and local authorities which are expected to ensure good governance by
being effective, transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of local people. This
introduction of devolution of power as a new governance model in Zimbabwe replaces
deconcentration on the premise that devolution is a more democratic, citizen centred,
participatory, more transparent, accountable and locally relevant development focussed
governance system (Muchadenyika and Williams, 2016).

Aims of Devolution

Political decentralisation (specifically, devolution of power) aims to statutorily transfer some

political power, local policy making and administrative responsibilities and resources from
central government to citizens and/or their democratically elected regional, provincial or local
authorities. One of its main aims is to capacitate sub-national tiers of government to respond
to problems of a purely local nature without waiting for policy instructions and directives
from the central government (Nyathi and Ncube, 2016). In comparison to deconcentration
discussed above, it is clear that power and space are at the heart of devolution since it is
anchored in wide dispersal of authority to local authorities. It strives for democratic
decentralisation through its reconstitution of centres of power within a particular State. “It
provides a process at the local level through which diverse interests can be heard and
negotiated and resource allocation decisions can be made based on public discussions”
(Muchadenyika, 2015).

The presence of such a local process subscribes to the ideals of democratic local governance
since it observes and respects pluralism in policy making, and policy choices, and emphasises
greater active citizen participation in decision making which is a sign of respect for their
political rights and civil liberties (Cannon and Ali, 2018). Furthermore, a devolved system
“emphasizes the presence of mechanisms for fair local political competition, transparency,
and accountability, government processes that are open to the public, responsible to the
public, and governed by the rule of law”(Kanyinga, 2017). All these tenets demonstrate that
devolution endeavours to cultivate a culture of good local political processes and good local
governance both of which are central elements of democratisation
Institutional framework

The institutional framework for devolution mainly involves the three tiers of government
namely the central government, the PMCs and the local authorities, as provided for by
Section 5 of the Constitution.

Central government

Part of the central government’s responsibility will be to provide the socio- economic policy
direction for the country. The other role will be to financially contribute to the development
of the lower tiers of government as provided for by section 301(3) of the Constitution.

The Provincial and Metropolitan Councils (PMCs)

According to Section 268 (1) of the Constitution, the provincial councils are composed of a
chairperson of the council; senators; two senator chiefs; president and deputy president of the
National Council of Chiefs; all members of the National Assembly; women members of the
National Assembly; the mayors and chairpersons as well as ten persons elected by
proportional representation.

The Section 270 (1) of the Constitutions requires the Provincial and Metropolitan Councils
(PMC) to undertake socio-economic development for their respective provinces which
include the following:

(a) Planning and implementing social and economic development activities;

(b) Co-ordinating and implementing governmental programmes;
(c) Planning and implementing environmental conservation measures; improvement and
management of natural resources;
(d) Promoting tourism and developing tourism facilities;
(e) Monitoring and evaluating the use of resources in their provinces;
(f) Exercising any other functions, including legislative functions that maybe conferred or
imposed on it by or under an Act of Parliament.
References

Muchadenyika, D., 2015. The Inevitable: Devolution in Zimbabwe–From Constitution–

Making to the Future. Constitution-building in Africa (104-34). Baden-Baden: Nomos and
Community Law Centre.

Cannon, B.J. and Ali, J.H., 2018. Devolution in Kenya Four Years On: A Review of
Implementation and Effects in Mandera County. African Conflict and Peacebuilding
Review, 8(1), pp.1-28.

Muchadenyika, D. and Williams, J.J., 2016, September. Social change: Urban governance
and urbanization in Zimbabwe. In Urban Forum (Vol. 27, No. 3, pp. 253-274). Springer
Netherlands.

Nyathi, M. and Ncube, M., 2017. The Myth of Devolution in Zimbabwe: The Reality Post-
May 2013. U. Botswana LJ, 24, p.27.

Kanyinga, K., 2016. Devolution and the new politics of development in Kenya. African
Studies Review, 59(3), pp.155-167