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Vincent Gono, Features Editor
THE concept of devolution is a Constitutional provision that was actualised by the Second Republic under President Mnangagwa and has been lauded as the best development strategy that ensures equitable distribution of the national cake without hushed murmurs of dissatisfaction from some provinces that previously felt marginalised.
Zimbabwe’s 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.
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 focused governance system.
The previous political administration was reluctant in implementing devolution, perhaps for reasons of political expediency choosing the Bambazonke way of doing things that did very little to either unite the State or develop it as certain patches were left isolated from the whole.
Bambazonke entails that everything is centralised to a particular place and in the concept of Zimbabwe, Bambazonke referred to the capital — Harare from where political, economic and social development has over the years revolved around and controlled.
And people from other provinces that were seemingly marginalised in their bitterness often referred to the capital as where their lives are run. But that all changed when the Second Republic took over with the President hitting the ground running.
He announced it in his acceptance speech that he was well aware of the task that was ahead of him. The task of rebuilding and uniting the nation and made it clear that he was not going to be caught up in the politics of ‘isms’.
“The task at hand is that of rebuilding our country,” he said.
“I am required to serve our country as the President of all citizens regardless of colour, creed, religion, tribe, totem or political affiliation,” he remarked.
He quickly put into motion an economic blueprint and moved devolution from the rhetoric that it was under the previous political administration and actualised it through the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) which was then followed by the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).
According to the NDS,1 devolution is one of the values espoused in Vision 2030, upholding the tenets enshrined in the Constitution of providing for the devolvement of powers and responsibilities to competent provincial or metropolitan councils and local authorities.
Devolution seeks to make the system of governance community based and people centred by enhancing community participation in making decisions on local development issues that affect them and in the exercise of governmental powers, whilst upholding the preservation of national unity.
This signifies a new way of governance in the Second Republic where, decentralisation is a key feature and strategy for non-discriminatory and just governance as well as inclusive and transformative socio-economic development.
The concept seeks to empower provinces to drive local and national economic growth and development using their own factor endowments.
Devolution therefore represents a new governance dispensation where decentralisation was going to become a key feature and strategy for fair and just governance. Fulfilment of decentralisation according to the NDS1 was going to be across the four dimensions, namely administrative, political, fiscal and market.
“The founding provisions of the Constitution enshrine and provide for giving powers of local governance to the people, enhancing their participation in making decisions on issues that affect them, and in the exercise of the powers of the State,” reads part of the economic blueprint.
President Mnangagwa reaffirmed the Government’s commitment in implementing devolution and decentralisation in the running of national affairs as a strategy to revitalise the economy and improve the people’s standards of living.
“As Government we recognise varied natural resource endowments in our respective provinces and that people in those provinces must benefit from the resources in their communities. This is set to see the actualisation of the concept of provincial economies,” said President Mnangagwa.
He said principally, his government had taken a decision to implement the constitutional requirements of devolving and decentralising the running of the country’s affairs.
“This is one of the strategies to rebuild our economy through modernisation and industrialisation, the creation of decent jobs as well as ensuring broad-based empowerment in line with our vision to fulfil the spirit of our Constitution and as we strain towards Vision 2030.”
He said the communities should remain mindful that the country was a unitary State with diverse cultures, languages, beliefs and religions.
“We must therefore use this concept for economic advancement and as a vehicle to propel development.
“Devolution must improve the quality of life of all our people in every corner of the country as we strive to become a middle-income economy by 2030,” said President Mnangagwa.
He said communities should therefore take this programme of devolved economic development as specifically for them as they would have the power to control the resources that they own – a concept of bringing down development priority to the local communities so that they own development.
Government envisages a transfer of some governmental authority and responsibilities to provincial and metropolitan councils and local authorities to communities in furtherance of their development and in the management of their own affairs.
In this regard, decision making and authority in the provision of most basic services will be delegated and decentralised to provincial and district levels.
Devolution has the net effect of bringing Government closer to communities, and make it more accessible, that way enhancing responsive, accountable and participatory governance over local development agendas.
To fulfil its commitment to devolution, the government has doubled the allocation for devolution to $42,5 billion in the 2022 budget up from $19,5 billion that was set aside for the current financial year.
Communities in the country side have already started enjoying the benefits of the devolution agenda and are positive that their lives will never be the same again as schools, clinics, roads, bridges and dams are being constructed and renovated as the country ensures no-one is left behind.
Political analyst Mr Jowere Mukusha said the concept of devolution meant that provinces would enjoy more influence in decision making economically, politically and socially.
“Power in any form is a scare commodity hence the devolution agenda inspired by President Mnangagwa gives people a feeling of decision making from a provincial level. Devolution attempts to reduce red tape and bureaucratic tendencies in all developmental facets; thus, provinces are quite happy about the devolution agenda.
“Devolution enhances the African virtues of oneness and familihood for Nyerere (1968) that is the issue of Umojah and Ujamaa. The same spirit is buttressed by Mbiti (1989) resonating that, ‘I am because we are; since we are, therefore I am’. The long and short about the devolution agenda is that we rule together thereby sharing the responsibilities of success and failure as communities,” said Mr Mukusha.
He added that communities would benefit from the natural endowments of their province rather than have them taken to the capital where they were value added and distributed often unequally from the national basket.
This, he adds, will enable the establishment of new industries as well as employment creation catering more for the local people.
Mr Mukusha said there were many calculated political and economic reasons for the delay in implementing devolution by the previous administration.
Online Reporter