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Christopher Farai Charamba Features Writer
Decentralisation refers to the transfer or redistribution of authority and functions from a single large entity to smaller administrative groups.

The idea behind it is that it can lead to more efficient and effective running of an entity or enterprise as individual attention is paid to one sector’s needs without compromising the different needs of another sector.

Harare City Council took a decision to decentralise the city’s service delivery mandate and recently appointed officers to head its districts, with each district expected to retain 25 percent of revenue collections.

In a move that aims to improve operations, with each of the district overseeing services such as water and sewer, road maintenance and payment of bills by residents, decentralisation of Harare was already underway in the eight operational zones.

City of Harare acting corporate communications manager Mr Michael Chideme said the city had embarked on this model after consultation with the city’s stakeholders.

“Decentralisation model came about following a lot of consultation and prodding by various stakeholders who have always wanted us to go that route.

“It’s already unfolding as we have deployed district officers to the various districts in Harare and also the chief area administrators as well the requisite finance people to assist them in the finances of the zones,” he said.

The eight operational zones have been established as follows; Zone 1 (CBD, Mbare and Sunningdale), Zone 2 (Hatfield and Waterfalls), Zone 3 (Highfield, Glen Norah and Hopley), Zone 4 (Budiriro, Glen View, Mufakose and Marimba), Zone 5 (Kambuzuma, Kuwadzana and Dzivarasekwa), Zone 6 (Mabelreign, Marlborough, Warren Park, and Mt Pleasant), Zone 7 (Borrowdale, Hatcliffe, Greendale, and Highlands) and Zone 8 (Tafara, Mabvuku and Caledonia).

“People who have been appointed as acting area administration officers are, Mr Gift Jumburu (Zone 1), Mrs Lynette Mandoza (Zone 2), Mrs Vienna Govera (Zone 3), Mr Elias Banda (Zone 4), Mr Admore Guzha (Zone 5), Ms Marian Mverechena (Zone 6), Mr Innocent Sithole (Zone 7) and Mr Stanley Gara (Zone 8),” said Mr Chideme.

He further explained that sensitisation workshops with all the employees had already taken place, to bring them to speed with what the city is doing with the programme.

According to Mr Chideme, Harare previously worked on a decentralised model but then moved to a centralised system. Now the city has chosen to return certain services back to the people for easy administration and speedy implementation of service delivery programmes.

“Decentralisation will work in this way; the chief area administrator and the district officers will sit with the local councillors and the people and plan together. They retain 25 percent of the revenue collected and that is invested in service delivery programmes at the local level.

“These are programmes that people of that area say they want. For example, if refuse is not collected because the refuse truck does not have fuel or has a flat tire or needs general repairs, there is a 25 percent facility there that the district can use to solve these issues.

“If you have a burst pipe that is affecting water service delivery in a district, then the district can take money from the 25 percent and fix it.

“What this does is it cuts red tape and bureaucracy. Whereas before, all the districts would send their requisitions to head office, and people there would have piles and piles and issues at different priority levels, now the district can prioritise and attend to its own service delivery issues,” he said.

Under the districts, matters to do with water and sewer such as burst pipes, roads, illegal vendors, the cutting of grass, the submission of building plans and all other service delivery concerns are now being handled at district level.

Mr Chideme explained that this was an effective approach as it would bring service delivery closer to the people and allow the head office to deal with capital projects and policy matters.

“With service delivery implementation now the responsibility of the districts, the head office or the centre will administer capital projects and buy capital equipment as well as handle things at a policy level.

“Council will for example have a policy that says no illegal vending; the district then has to implement it in the best way possible. You’ll likely find that the implementation model will be different from district to district depending on the personalities there. What we want to achieve at the end of the day is an end to illegal vending.

“Similarly, council could say we want to do away with water leaks and burst pipes or do away with free riders. The implementation of how this is done is different and dependent on officers on the ground and how they interact with the customers, but what we want is the outcome,” he said.

Funding for the decentralisation has come from council’s budget but Mr Chideme said districts had already opened their individual accounts into which their 25 percent retention will be deposited.

He added that head office still had a mandate to pay salaries and undertake capital projects which is why they take 75 percent of the income.

“As head office some of the funds will be needed for salaries but also we will assess whether there is enough equipment in each district.

“Some districts are big and might need two or three garbage trucks for example and will then go out to purchase those.

“The initial challenges we have faced with the decentralisation have to do with plant and equipment. There hasn’t been enough to equitably distribute to all the districts or zones. However, management and council have seen it fit to buy additional equipment for distribution.”

Mr Chideme said he was confident that the decentralisation process would be a success as it the city aims to bring the best from of service delivery to its customers.

“We don’t want to leave any one of our customers unsatisfied. We want a complete buy in from them because if they have good service delivery then they will continue to pay for it and that means there will be more money to continue offering better services.

“We will also run healthy competition among the district zones. We want to see the best performing zone in terms of service delivery. There is bound to be a lot of competition in the zones with people wanting to outperform the next district.

“It is all about satisfying the customer so we’ll probably get the judgment from the customers. We are still planning to see how this will work so as of yet there is no prize but it will be big enough to attract competition the following year,” he said.

Decentralising operations brings accountability for service delivery nearer to the people. Harare has become too big to be run from one centre. Best practice also supports this move. In similar size efficiently run cities operate on a model of decentralisation.

What people commonly refer to as Johannesburg is actually a conurbation comprising a number of municipalities. As an example, the area around OR Tambo Airport is known as Erkhuruleni Municipality.

Back home, areas that are now major suburbs such as Borrowdale, Waterfalls, Marlborough, and Greendale all used to be autonomously run councils.

It certainly does not bring any efficiency to take a plan from Glen Norah, transport it to the city centre for approval, then transport it back to Glen Norah. If refuse is piling up in Mabvuku, it makes sense to report to a local office that will rectify the situation. So decentralisation certainly brings operational efficiency and hopefully improved service delivery.

The possible complications will arise in the sharing formula for fees and rates paid by residents between the central administration and the local offices. The nature of the power dynamics means the centre decides what the local areas get. One prays that a more objective method of arriving at the figures given to each office is used. Otherwise the model may fail due to implementation weaknesses. The model also requires efficient and responsive coordination mechanism. You don’t want different offices using decentralisation to pass the buck. But the real issue is on the resources, any responsibility given to the local office must be budgeted for so that there are no unfunded mandates.

The central administration must also design an effective monitoring mechanism so that the service delivery centres have oversight. Lastly there is need for a continuous review mechanism to monitor the decentralisation process which quickly corrects anomalies and recommends improvements. As long as parties are willing, this model should work since it enhances community ownership of the city.

Urban Development Corporation town planner Mr Shingai Kawadza concurred that there are quite a number of advantages stemming up from decentralising the city.

“Decentralisation will result in high level of participation in decision making, development planning and implementation of district specific projects.

“It also increases the speed and flexibility of decision making and resources generated by each district will be specifically channelled to the area in question. Plans, policies, projects and programmes are suited to local conditions, hence making development more relevant to the needs of the people in various districts or communities.

“Decentralisation also establishes better communication relations between various levels of the city structures and members of the public. This will instil a sense of ownership to locals resulting in communities becoming stewards of their own infrastructure and projects. In short, decentralisation promotes liberty, equality and welfare,” he said.

According to Mr Kawadza, for decentralisation to be effective there needs to be healthy financial standing and good governance.

“As long the districts offices are well resourced and have a strong financial standing the adoption of this initiative can spearhead the growth of the city.

“Decentralisation in its nature is a means to an end and not an end in itself. To achieve the end there is need to strengthen decentralised administrators, more autonomy or authority for the council to enable them to raise local fiscal resources and widen their revenue base.

“There is need to assess the extent to which strong contenders can exploit their potential resources without triggering negative social, economic and political consequences such as the emergency of local “sharks” who may want to benefit at the expense of majority,” he said

Harare intends to become a world class city by 2025. For this to be attained, the city is going to have to improve on its service delivery and ensure that residents have efficient and effective facilities that contribute to a better quality of life.

 

Decentralisation of the city has the potential to allow for this to happen and move Harare towards a world class city status.