The Successes and Failures of the Local Government Associations of Zimbabwe since 1980

Abstract

Since the attainment of political independence in 1980, Zimbabwe has made tremendous progress in instituting local government reforms such as institutional consolidations, and realignment of legal and policy frameworks. The Local Government Associations are one institution that emerged as the voice articulating policy and legal interests of local authorities through lobbying, representation, and advocacy. However, since 1980, their endeavors in the promotion and advancement of the Zimbabwean local government system have eluded serious scholarly inquiry. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to establish the contributions of the Local Government Associations to the Zimbabwean local governance system. This qualitative study adopted the case study research design and purposive sampling was used to identify respondents from former and current local government practitioners as well as civil society representatives. Primary data was collected through key informant interviews and documentary analysis was used in the collection of secondary data. Thematic analysis was used to make meaning from the themes that emerged from the data. The constitutionalisation of local government in 2013 ranks as the major achievement by the associations. Despite these achievements, the associations are faced with challenges like limited funding, political interference, and failure to conclude the issue of qualifications for councillors. Local Government Associations remain as key players in amplifying the voice of their members on local governance issues. Leadership capacitation is needed for them to remain relevant and effective.