LOCAL authorities must anchor national development and deliver high-quality services that transform communities in line with Vision 2030, which demands hard work and commitment for the realisation of set targets for improved livelihoods, President Mnangagwa has said.
Addressing more than 3 000 councillors and Local Government executives at the 2025 All-Councillors Indaba in Bulawayo yesterday, the President said local authorities must provide a solid base upon which the country is built and grow every sector of the economy.
The fourth dialogue edition, which coincided with the launch of the Minimum Service Delivery Standards Framework and the Urban State Land Management Policy, was held under the theme: “Benchmarking Service Delivery Towards Attainment of Vision 2030”.
President Mnangagwa said the theme resonated with the Government’s thrust to uplift citizens’ lives across urban and rural areas.
“Local authorities must be the solid base upon which we build our country and grow every sector of the economy. You, thus, cannot afford to be a poor foundation. I challenge you to provide the requisite ecosystem for the realisation of our vision of becoming a prosperous and empowered upper middle-income society by 2030,” he said.
“To this end, benchmarking is critically important for transformational results, where decision-makers make decisions based on facts”.
The President and Vice President Kembo Mohadi take a look at magazines during their tour of exhibition stands in Bulawayo yesterday. Flanking them are Local Government and National Housing Minister Daniel Garwe (right) and Permanent Secretary Dr John Basera (left)
President Mnangagwa said in line with this year’s theme, councillors are all called upon to put in place systems that will lead to both qualitative and quantitative changes in their jurisdictions.
“In doing so, you must always be guided by the best interests of ratepayers, while also inculcating a work culture for high impact results.”
The President further reiterated that as public officials, councillors should remain guided by the national development philosophy “Nyika inovakwa, igotongwa, igonamatigwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa, libuswe, likhulekelwe ngabanikazi balo”.
Everyone, at every level, he said, has duties and roles that must be undertaken with efficacy and financial prudence.
“By and large, more must be done by local authorities to fully realise the aspirations envisioned in the Local Authorities’ Service Delivery Blueprint: “Call to Action – No Compromise to Service Delivery”, said President Mnangagwa.
The landmark blueprint was officially launched in November 2023 as the first stage of interventions to modernise the operations of local authorities towards Vision 2030.
The bold initiative marked a turning point in the Government’s efforts to ensure that local authorities become efficient, accountable and development-oriented institutions that tangibly improve the lives of citizens.
As part of the call to action, the President directed all local authorities to develop clear, actionable roadmaps aligned with the country’s Vision 2030 agenda, which seeks to position Zimbabwe as an upper-middle-income economy by the end of the decade.
(From left) Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Owen Ncube, Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Minister Tatenda Mavetera, National Housing Deputy Minister Musa Ncube, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere and Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Marian Chombo at the indaba yesterday
However, President Mnangagwa said that since launching the programme, it was disheartening that he continued to receive reports of alarming levels of dereliction of duty as well as acts of omission and commission by several local authorities.
“This situation is untenable. We owe the people of our great country, greater commitment and responsibility as we execute the mandate given to us. The performance assessment tool, Minimum Service Delivery Standards, crafted by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, should stimulate improvement in service delivery and help track progress in the delivery of quality services,” he said.
President Mnangagwa told delegates that these standards span across eight service delivery areas, namely housing and community services, water supply, sanitation management, solid waste management, roads and public lighting, corporate governance, public health as well as environmental stewardship.
“This evidence-based system will form the basis for performance awards for local authorities, starting from the 2025 fiscal year,” he said.
“In implementing this tool, I challenge you all, the ministry, councillors, along with your executives, to constantly track performance and make timely interventions. A situation where interventions are made when systems have totally collapsed within our local authorities is not acceptable.”
Turning to financial literacy, President Mnangagwa said sound fiscal management is essential for the economic growth and development of local authorities.
“You, as councillors and executives, have a duty to ensure that your budgets are aligned with our national priorities and provide the necessary resources to drive progress and improve the lives of our citizens.
“The ministry must equally give timely guidance in this regard. The 2025 National Budget was designed with economic recovery, social development and infrastructure investment at the core,” he said.
“The budget allocated resources to key sectors, such as water and sanitation, healthcare, education, agriculture and infrastructure development, with a strong emphasis on job creation and poverty eradication, leaving no one and no place behind.”
President of the Chiefs Council Chief Mtshane Khumalo (right), his deputy Chief Fortune Charumbira (second from right) and other traditional leaders at the well-subscribed meeting
To complement these priority areas, President Mnangagwa implored local authorities to also mobilise funds for various development initiatives, at the local level, to augment disbursements from Treasury.
He noted that the planned Nhimbe Initiative proposed by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, which draws inspiration from our socio-cultural traditions, must be embraced.
Riding on the spirit of this Initiative, the President said councils are called upon to pool resources and work on maintenance, repair and rehabilitation of roads and related infrastructure.
“As we continue to improve the quality of life in all our communities, brick by brick, stone upon stone and step by step, let us continue building our country, ward by ward, by scaling up cooperation and collaboration for a brighter future for all the people of our great motherland, Zimbabwe,” he said.
“To achieve this, functional local systems, which are responsive to the needs of our citizens, are key.”
The President also commended the private sector for their overwhelming response in complementing public sector projects, particularly in the areas of water and sanitation, as well as infrastructure development.
“Riding on this good will, councils are called upon to attract and promote additional investment at the local levels through Public Private Partnerships,” he said.
President Mnangagwa directed the Ministry of Local Government to draft and review the legal landscape, where there are gaps, to enable local authorities to deliver on their mandates on a more regular basis.
Similarly, he noted that it is critically important that councils also continue to draft and review subsidiary legislation and by-laws to be in sync with national statutes and Government priorities.
To that end, the President said councils should ensure that employee welfare, especially for lower grades, is given due attention and that legal and statutory requirements are followed in addressing welfare issues.
He said from a Central Government perspective, Government remains committed to do its part and impressed on the councillors the spirit of unity, as he urged great collaboration.
“There should be no us and them. We are one united people, entrusted to champion the realisation of our National Vision 2030. We must deliver,” President Mnangagwa said.
“A house divided cannot stand. Let us continue to preach unity, peace and development within our communities. Production and productivity across every sector, at ward level, should be our slogan. We must build the Zimbabwe we want.”
As a way of controlling the proliferation of a culture of lawlessness in land management, Government has crafted a new State Lands Management Policy.
Additionally, the Ministry of Local Government will also be tracking local authorities which habitually fail to conduct audits of their financial statements as provided by the law.
Departing from his prepared speech, President Mnangagwa warned that decisive action may soon be taken to enforce accountability and transparency.
He told delegates that he is contemplating two possible courses of action to address the persistent non-compliance by some councils.
“I am thinking of ways of dealing with local authorities that are lagging behind on their audited financial statements. Should they pull up their socks or we fire them? What should we do?” he asked the gathering.
The President’s remarks signal growing concern within the Government over financial indiscipline and the lack of transparency in some local authorities, challenges that continue to undermine service delivery and development.
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