CALLS for practical devolution and stronger resident participation dominated this year’s residents’ summit in Bulawayo, with the city’s mayor, David Coltart, warning that the city’s revenue streams remain too weak to meet growing service delivery demands.
The summit was hosted by the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association, in partnership with the Combined Harare Residents Association and Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association.
It was held under the theme: Rethinking and Reclaiming the Social Accountability Agenda for Improved Decentralised Service Delivery.
Coltart acknowledged progress made over the past year, including campaigns to restore cleanliness, but said mounting infrastructure and service delivery challenges persisted.
“The city’s current revenue streams are inadequate and do not match the demands of service delivery,” he said.
Coltart emphasised that devolution will only succeed if local authorities are properly empowered.
“The Constitution provides for effective devolution of power, but for it to succeed, local authorities must be adequately empowered and supported, while residents actively participate in governance processes.”
Gwanda North Chief Khulumani Mathema said devolution “is intended to transfer power and resources from central government to local communities.”
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Mathema said devolution “should drive grassroots development, strengthen community participation and improve service delivery.”
“Without practical implementation, devolution risks remaining a constitutional promise rather than a lived reality,” he said.
Zimbabwe Open University senior lecturer Tobias Guzura echoed similar sentiments.
“While devolution in Zimbabwe is constitutionally sound, its implementation remains uneven due to limited fiscal decentralisation and capacity gaps at the local authority level,”
he said.
Guzura called for “stronger policy alignment, data-driven planning and institutional accountability to ensure devolution translates to improved service delivery and inclusive local development.”
Devolution is enshrined under sections 264 and 265 of the 2013 Constitution.
It is meant to enable communities to make decisions on local development, natural resource management and service delivery.
However, critics insist that implementation has been slow, with limited fiscal decentralisation and continued reliance on centrally disbursed funds, leaving many councils struggling to meet basic needs.
