Zimbabwean MPs demand mandatory qualifications for councillors to curb local governance crisis

Nqobizwe Thebe

Zimbabwean Members of Parliament have called for sweeping reforms in local governance, including the introduction of mandatory academic and professional qualifications for councillors.

The call follows mounting concerns over the collapse of service delivery, financial mismanagement, and public distrust in urban and rural councils.

The issue dominated Tuesday’s heated parliamentary debate, during which lawmakers decried the dysfunction stemming from prolonged acting appointments in key municipal positions and the appointment of underqualified councillors.

Introducing the motion, Hon. Kiven  Mutimbanyoka said Zimbabwe’s councils were gripped by an “administrative crisis” due to politicised appointments and a lack of accountability.

“Many councils are headed by individuals without the requisite academic or managerial competence. Yet they are expected to supervise senior officials. This undermines professionalism and effective governance,” he said.

The motion received rare cross-party consensus, with MPs citing serious challenges across local authorities — including the widespread use of acting town clerks, finance directors, engineers, and housing officers, some of whom have held temporary roles for years. This, legislators argued, has delayed key development projects and eroded public confidence.

Hon. Chenjerayi Kangausaru pointed to the constitutional requirement under Section 264 (2)(a), which mandates competence within devolved government units.

“How do we deliver devolution when councils are run by officials with no clear mandate, no institutional memory, and no plan for succession?” he asked.

Lawmakers sharply criticised the Local Government Board for failing to enforce recruitment standards, allowing critical posts to remain vacant indefinitely. Hon. Makumire went further, accusing the Ministry of Local Government of engaging in “centralised sabotage” by keeping competent professionals in prolonged acting roles.

“These delays are not administrative errors. They’re calculated political moves,” he said.

Multiple MPs pushed for an overhaul of the Urban Councils Act, proposing that minimum educational qualifications be made mandatory for councillors.

“You can’t talk about good governance when some councillors lack even basic governance literacy,” said Hon. Mapiki. “We need laws that value merit — not just political allegiance.”

The debate also touched on ecological degradation, corruption in land allocations, and the abuse of acting appointments by politically aligned councillors. Harare and Chitungwiza were cited as hotspots, with nearly all departments reportedly run by acting officials.

Hon. Mutimbanyoka warned: “We are not only compromising today’s service delivery, we’re destroying our cities’ ecological future.”

The motion concluded with MPs calling for:

A full audit of all acting positions;

Transparent, merit-based recruitment in local government;

Legal reforms enforcing minimum qualifications for councillors and senior officials.

The proposals will now be examined by relevant parliamentary committees, with potential legislative amendments in the pipeline. As Zimbabwe presses ahead with Vision 2030 and its decentralisation agenda, MPs say professionalising local leadership is key to restoring public trust and delivering meaningful development.