The Devolution Dividend

The Devolution Development Dividend

By Dumisani O. Nkomo

The argument that was and is still propounded by some sections of the Zimbabwean ruling elite that devolution of power is expensive is both frivolous and vexatious for a number of reasons which I will discuss in this instalment.

It must be remembered that the failure to implement devolution of power was one of the reasons that was cited for the attempted impeachment of Robert Mugabe, which was then overtaken by his subsequent resignation. Is our collective amnesia so effective that a whole government can choose to ignore such a critical governance tenet?

The Minister of Finance, Patrick Chinamasa infamously declared that devolution of power was costly and government could not afford to implement it. I would like to argue that failure to implement devolution of power will be costlier for the government and indeed the people of Zimbabwe .

Devolution of power is not necessarily creating new structures, new employees and so forth but rather ensuring that structures at local and provincial level have the power to implement decisions at their level for the benefit of local communities. Although section 270 of the constitution envisages Provincial and metropolitan councils’ creation of structures and staff, this is not the main thrust of devolution of power to provincial and local level tiers of governance.

Devolution of power will necessarily make governance easier as it enables citizens to have access to government which in itself contributes to the type of governance reflected in section 194 0f the constitution. Section 94 envisages public administration which amongst other things is responsive to people’s needs, transparent and encourages people to participate in policy making. For this to happen and to happen more effectively it is important to have public administration and governance that is localized with sufficient power to make decisions that can make a difference in the lives of people in that particular locality, community, district or province. Devolution of power is methodology of governance that facilitates this effectively.

Ownership and Benefit of Local Resources

Devolution of power allows communities to manage their own affairs and to benefit from their own resources. The objects of devolution of power in the constitution adequately capture this in section 264 paragraph d which states “to recognize the right of local communities to manage their own affairs and to further their own development”.

In actual fact development processes in Zimbabwe are premised on the imperative of bottom up development epitomized by the role of Village Development Committees (VIDCOs), Ward Development Committees (WADCO) created under the Traditional Leaders Act and the Rural District Councils Act.  VIDCOS and WADCOS are supposed to formulate annual development plans which are then channelled upwards to the District Development Committees and then the Rural District Development Committees. There is then a development process disconnect because there is no link between local, district level and provincial development processes since the old Provincial Development Committee structures do not have adequate decision making powers to ensure that plans developed at micro level are actualized through budget processes. From a development planning perspective, devolution of power becomes essential as it enables aspirations of citizens expressed through their micro level plans to be manifested. Tragically VIDCOs and WADCOs have become commissariat structures of the ruling party and needless to say the whole imperative of bottom up planning has been lost in the jungle of political expedience.

Devolution of power to local/municipal and provincial structures is key in national development as developmental planning assumes a bottom –up paradigm.

Management of Local Resources

When locals are fully in charge of their own resources and are able to make decisions on resource governance communities are thus fully developed. The people of Gwanda must benefit from their Mopani worms and gold deposits, the people of Chiadzwa must benefit from the diamond deposits in their vicinity and the people from Matojeni must benefit from the wildlife at the Matobo National Game Park in the same manner that the communities in Lupane must benefit from methane gas deposits. If benefits cannot be accrued directly there must a devolved system of ensuring that locals are employed and downstream or upstream economic activity gravitates locally.

It does not make sense for people in Marange to be wallowing in poverty when there are diamond deposits all around them or the people of Nkayi to see trucks moving in and out of the district timber logging whilst children in the district do not have desks or chairs. A devolved resource governance and public finance dispensation addresses such anomalies.

I would like to posit therefore that if Zimbabwe is a democratic developmental state devolution of power is best positioned to facilitate this for the following reasons;

1.It brings governance processes closer to the people.

2.It increases accountability and access to decision making and policy processes.

3.Makes revenue collection more efficient.

4.It is essential in development planning.

5.Creates a greater sense of ownership of the national cake as communities have access to their own local slice and hence access to the bigger cake unlike a highly centralized system were people do not even know that there is a cake in the first place.

Mayibuye!

Dumisani Nkomo is the Chief Executive officer of Habakkuk Trust. He is also a writer, social entrepreneur, content producer and thought  leader. He writes here in his personal capacity.