HARARE acting town clerk Warren Chiwawa has said performance contracts signed by middle managers are meant to be used daily to monitor teams, spot problems early and fix them before they grow.
Chiwawa on Tuesday oversaw the signing of 2026 performance contracts for middle managers.
The move follows earlier signing in March by mayors and town clerks and head of departments, and it is framed as a critical step towards speeding up service delivery and raising standards across all departments.
Chiwawa described performance contracting as a practical tool to align daily work with the city’s goals and plans.
He told the managers gathered for the ceremony that they occupied a crucial position in council structures.
As the bridge between policies set by senior leadership and work done on the ground, middle managers oversee teams, manage resources and turn plans into visible results for residents.
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“When middle management performs well, the whole city benefits. In other words, you are the engine room of this organisation.
“These contracts are meant to be used daily to monitor teams, spot problems early and fix them before they grow,” he said.
“Success will not be measured by documents signed but by real, visible improvements in service delivery across Harare and by compliance with minimum service delivery standards.
“The signing signals that accountability in the capital is no longer stopping at the top.”
Chiwawa said the measures showed that council was serious about accountability.
“Good performance will be recognised and poor performance will be addressed.”
He also added that the council was working to make procurement and other administrative processes faster so that managers had tools and materials needed to meet targets.
Mayor Jacob Mafume, who also addressed the event, reinforced the call for accountability and urged managers to modernise the city’s operations.
“You are the face of the city because you interact directly with residents and stakeholders, and that interaction must reflect a modern, efficient Harare,” Mafume said.
He emphasised innovativeness, removal of manual systems and full functionality of the ERP system, noting that systems worldwide are electronic and there can be no excuse for poor service delivery.
Mafume also highlighted that prepaid water meter installation was underway and urged residents to co-operate with the city to make the rollout work.
The 2026 contracts are tied directly to legal obligations.
They reflect the minimum service delivery standards set out in Statutory Instrument 170 of 2025 and SI 69 as updated in 2026.
The new framework also carries clear consequences for non-performance.
The Local Government ministry can direct penalties for councils that fail to meet standards.
Those penalties range from written warnings and suspension of travel to downgrading of council status and dismissal.
Those standards are mandatory and set the basic level of services Harare must provide, including water supply, roads, waste collection and public lighting. By embedding these requirements into individual contracts, council is linking personal responsibility to the city’s compliance targets.