Abstract

Devolution is a new phenomenon which Zimbabwe has incorporated in its constitution through Section 264 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe of 2013. This is as a result of the urge for participatory governance to devolve power. Over the years, local government has been informed by a plethora of pieces of legislation which have not provided an enabling environment for citizen participation, giving Zimbabwe’s local government a chequered history which excluded citizens from participating in public affairs. An analysis of Section 264 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe has revealed that devolution has the propensity to enhance transparency, efficiency and effectiveness as well as improve responsibilities of central government to provincial and local levels. It is assumed that the belated implementation of devolution has delayed improved service delivery, effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability within local governance. This paper seeks to explore the provisions of Section 264 of the Constitution and how the implementation of this constitutional provision can improve local governance.

Key words: Devolution, decentralisation, local governance, effectiveness, efficiency, accountability, Section 264 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.