HARARE, Jul. 23 (NewsDay Live) – The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing has recommended the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry to resolve longstanding governance challenges in Hwange Concession, where thousands of residents are administered under two separate local government systems.
Presenting the committee’s report in Parliament on Wednesday, committee chairperson Maxmore Njanji said the current arrangement had created a governance anomaly in which residents are administered by Hwange Rural District Council while being politically represented by councillors under the Hwange Local Board.
“The current arrangement has created a governance anomaly in which residents are administered by Hwange Rural District Council while being politically represented by councillors serving under the Hwange Local Board,” Njanji said.
He said the dual governance structure had curtailed residents’ participation in local governance, limited access to government development funding and hampered coordinated urban planning and service delivery.
The committee found that the Hwange Local Board supports incorporating the concession area into a single urban authority, arguing that the move would improve planning, service delivery and integrated urban development.
However, Hwange Rural District Council and Hwange Colliery Company Limited opposed the proposal, citing concerns over potential revenue losses, constitutional property rights and the need for compensation if the incorporation proceeds.
To resolve the impasse, the committee recommended that the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works establish a Commission of Inquiry to assess the feasibility of placing Hwange urban under a single local authority.
The proposed inquiry would examine the legal, administrative and financial implications of the plan while consulting affected stakeholders.
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The committee also urged the government to address inconsistencies between the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s delimitation boundaries and local government administrative boundaries.
It further recommended strengthening the institutional and technical capacity of the Hwange Local Board before any transition and ensuring Hwange Colliery Company receives fair compensation for any affected assets in line with Section 71 of the Constitution.
Njanji said a carefully managed transition, backed by stakeholder consensus and a clear implementation framework, would improve service delivery, expand access to national development funding, promote orderly urban growth and strengthen Hwange’s prospects of attaining municipality status.
The recommendations come as youths in Hwange have petitioned Parliament to resolve the governance dispute.
