Govt commended over devolution

Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
GOVERNMENT has been commended for its plans to devolve power as this will result in the development of provinces and the country.

The promulgation of a law to give legal force to devolution of power is set to take centre stage when Parliament resumes sitting after the swearing in of National Assembly members and Senators today.

During a Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA) national devolution campaign in Gweru yesterday, Mr Methembeni Moyo, a Bulawayo-based lawyer and development consultant, said devolution laws must reflect the will of the people. “Chapter 14 of the Constitution is empty. You realise that an Act of Parliament is mentioned more than 15 times and we should fill in the gaps. The Government is giving us the power to fill in the gap so that we have devolution laws that reflect the will of the people,” he said.

Mr Moyo said devolution is not mere Zanu-PF propaganda but a Constitutional right.

“It (devolution) is in the Constitution and not Zanu-PF propaganda. Now we must put meat on the skeleton. We are breathing life into this. We want to craft a shadow Bill after these consultative meetings,” he said.

Ms Alice Maqata, who is the chairperson of Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe Midlands chapter, said salaries for metropolitan councils and provincial council workers should be at par with that of Government employees. “Now councils are spending more on salaries which are high than on service delivery and that must be addressed in the new devolution law,” she said.

Outgoing Gweru Mayor Councillor Charles Chikozho said devolution should provide for the post of executive mayors.

Reverend Useni Sibanda of ZCA said they had launched a national devolution campaign so that communities have an input into the framework that will be developed through consultative meetings.