Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa jets into Bulawayo tomorrow morning to interface with councillors from the country’s 92 local authorities, culminating in the launch of the Minimum Service Delivery Standard Framework at the indaba set for the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre.
The interface is the second that President Mnangagwa is having with local authorities, with the first having been held in Harare in November 2023. That meeting led to the blueprint titled ‘A Call to Action: No Compromise to Service Delivery — First Stage of Interventions to Modernise the Operations of Local Authorities Towards Vision 2030’.
Local authorities were directed to develop roadmaps towards the attainment of the Vision, while on its part, the Government of Zimbabwe developed minimum service delivery standards to guide local authorities in the implementation of their roadmaps.
The minimum standards for local authorities were approved by Cabinet last month and are meant to guide them towards improving service delivery in tandem with national development aspirations.
The objectives for developing minimum service delivery standards include defining the minimum levels of services that local authorities should provide, and the nature of service recipients’ expectations in terms of quantity, quality, time and cost.
Other objectives are to determine the minimum cost for the provision of services, to provide uniformity and consistency in the provision of services at local level, and to provide a basis upon which feedback on the level of satisfaction against the standards will be evaluated.
The Minimum Service Delivery Standards Framework places focus on water supply, sanitation, solid waste management, roads and public lighting, corporate governance, public health, environmental issues, and housing and community services.
Addressing the media last month in his post-Cabinet briefing, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Dr Jenfan Muswere, said each area has performance indicators, benchmarks and performance standards.
“The data will be submitted online, with a real-time dashboard system being implemented to track, monitor and evaluate progress. The performance of local authorities, both urban and rural, will be based on assessments set in the minimum service delivery standards framework,” said Dr Muswere.
In a brief interview, the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe (UCAZ) secretary-general, Mr Livison Mutekede, said they were looking forward to the interface with President Mnangagwa where a number of key issues meant to enhance service delivery will be tackled.
“The crux of the interface is of course the launch of the Service Delivery Standards Framework which was crafted through the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works as well as UCAZ. This will guide us as local authorities in terms of implementing our mandate,” said Mr Mutekede.
He said they are also expecting President Mnangagwa to launch the Urban State Land Framework, which is meant to guide local authorities on how they should disperse urban state land within their jurisdiction.
