Rural local government finance in Zimbabwe: The case of Gokwe District Council

Abstract

In spite of the many problems inherited at independence in 1980, rural local government in Zimbabwe is, in comparison with many other countries in the region, fairly robust and well organized. This paper examines the Gokwe District Council, one of the more dynamic and potentially very prosperous rural local authorities in the country. The case study shows that the achievements of the council can be explained not only in terms of factors internal to the district, but also in terms of the overall system of local government and finance in Zimbabwe.

Control, Coercion, and Cooptation

“… 99 In 1986, the government decided to centralize teacher salaries and in 1987 there was an overall reduction of development grants to district councils; see Mutizwa-Mangiza 1992.…”

HRM in Development: Lessons and Frontiers

“…Much is of older date, reflecting established consensus. In this journal, by example, Mutizwa‐Mangiza () writes that the Gokwe rural local government in Zimbabwe was “fairly robust and well organized” in 1990, a decade after independence, and well performing. Hallmarks are low turnover among senior officers, encouragement of in‐service training leading to staff stability, meaningful salaries (despite inflation) that do not require auxiliary work to supplement as well as 5‐year work plans, bottom‐up participatory planning, adequate local fees and levies, and central government grants.…”