Zimbabwe’s Constitution of 2013 provides for multi-level government at national, provincial and local level. This book explores the nature, evolution and future of this multi-level system of government against the background of international best practices.

Provincial and Local Government Reform in Zimbabwe: An analysis of the Law, Policy and Practice considers key questions about the multi-level system of government and shows how it radically differs from the old Lancaster House constitutional order.

The roles that provincial and local governments, as well as traditional leaders, fulfil in the new order are examined, the reforms needed to implement the system are outlined, and lessons to be learnt from other countries with multi-level governments are considered.

This book aims to aid the realisation of Zimbabwe’s constitutional goals of development, democracy and peace through effective multilevel governance and contributes to the international discourse on decentralisation and the role of subnational governments in Africa.

Endorsements:

This book is an impressive piece of sustained scholarship. It is exhaustively researched, carefully structured and lucidly, meticulously and convincingly reasoned. The main issue is in this book is whether the multilevel governance system in Zimbabwe is designed in a manner that promotes the role of subnational governments in achieving development, building democracy and ensuring sustainable peace. The author contends, rightly, that more than mere alignment with the 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe is required; what is needed is “the development of a new statutory framework that reflects the constitutional ‘spirit’ of multilevel governance and devolution of power. This work provides a whole series of very useful proposals for reforming multilevel governance system in Zimbabwe, drawing on a whole range of comparative material.” Prof Geoff Feltoe, Faculty of Law, University of Zimbabwe

“This book is produced at a time when both provincial and local governments are transitioning from a system of government dependent on the whims of the government of the day to a constitutionalized system. It interrogates various pertinent issues. The practitioners and students of provincial and local government should find this book extremely helpful.” Mr Moffat Ndlovu, Former Town Clerk of the City of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

“This is the first comprehensive review of provincial and local government law under Zimbabwe's 2013 Constitution. Aside from filling a critical void, the book excels in that it is thorough, credible and comprehensive. It is a critical reference work for any local government practitioner in Zimbabwe and a valuable resource for comparative studies of decentralisation in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Prof Jaap de Visser, Director: Dullah Omar Institute for Constitutional Law, Governance and Human Rights; University of the Western Cape; South Africa.

• Introduction
• Designing a multi-level system of government for development, democracy and peace
  • Political autonomy
  • Fiscal and budget autonomy
  • Administrative autonomy
  • Supervision
  • Intergovernmental cooperation
• The Zimbabwean decentralised system of government: a historical perspective
  • A general overview of Zimbabwe o Pre-colonial system of government
  • Colonial system of government
  • The system of local government in the independence era
  • The nature of the multi-level system of government under the 2013 Constitution
• Establishment of provinces and local authorities
  • Provinces
  • Local authorities
  • Change of local authority status
  • Legal nature of provincial and metropolitan councils and local authorities
• Governance structures
  • Provincial and metropolitan councils
  • Local authorities
  • Administrative structures of local authorities
  • The institution of traditional leadership
• Powers and functions
  • Division of responsibilities across the three tiers of government
  • Provincial and metropolitan councils
  • Powers and functions of local authorities
  • Administrative authority of local authorities
• Finance
  • Provincial and metropolitan councils
  • Local authorities
  • Intergovernmental grants
• Supervision
  • Changed nature of the system of government and supervision
  • Supervisors
  • Regulation
  • Monitoring
  • Support
• Intergovernmental Relations
  • Defining intergovernmental relations and cooperation
  • Background to intergovernmental relations and cooperative governance in Zimbabwe
  • Constitutional framework
  • Institutions established to foster coherent governance
  • Intergovernmental planning
  • Towards an intergovernmental relations framework for Zimbabwe
• Conclusion
  • What is the potential of Zimbabwe’s multi-level system of government?
  • The strengths and weaknesses of the multi-level system of government
  • Towards establishing an effective system of multi-level government

• Legislators
• Academics – essential and supplementary reading for both under and post-graduate teaching in Zimbabwe 
• Post-graduate and under-graduate students