Failure to table Devolution Bill delays provincial governance

Parliamentary Watch

BULAWAYO — Despite long-standing expectations that legislation operationalising provincial and metropolitan councils would reach the legislative floor much earlier, the enabling Bill has still not been tabled in Parliament, sparking frustration among lawmakers who warn that the prolonged legislative delay is stalling local development and accountability.

The issue took center stage on Thursday, 3rd of September 2026, when the National Assembly debated a report by the Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, following a petition from the Mashonaland West Business Association and the Zimbabwe Council of Churches over the missing Provincial Councils and Administration Bill.

Rising to address the chronic delay, Hon. Mavhudzi told the House that the government had failed to bring the long-anticipated legislation forward as promised.

“We are in 2026, yet the Provincial and Metropolitan Councils and Administration Bill is yet to find its way to Parliament,” Hon. Mavhudzi said, questioning when the constitutional mandate would finally move from text to practice.

“When will the constitutional promise of devolution become a practical reality in Zimbabwe?” he asked, adding: “Devolution is not about creating another layer of Government. It is about bringing decision-making closer to citizens and ensuring that provincial development responds to local economic and infrastructural needs. Devolution delayed is development delayed. Devolution delayed is accountability delayed.”

The portfolio committee noted that while Chapter 14 of the Constitution, specifically sections 268 and 269, clearly provides for provincial and metropolitan councils, the failure to introduce and pass the enabling law has left these tiers unoperationalised. The delay has been attributed to complex institutional alignments, including harmonising the framework with Constitution Amendment No. 2 and defining the role of Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs relative to elected councils.

Calling for an end to the legislative holdup, the committee recommended that the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs expedite the gazetting and tabling of the Bill, while adopting a phased implementation model grounded in institutional readiness.

Lawmakers echoed the urgency of getting the Bill before the House. Hon. Nyakuyedzwa stressed that the absence of the law is far more than a procedural slip, stating:

“The delay in passing the Provincial Council’s Administration Bill is more than just a legislative lapse. It hampers our aspirations for a more participatory and balanced system of governance.”

Hon. Maposa urged swift action but stressed that once tabled, the law must be robust: “The Bill must clearly define coordination, oversight and accountability mechanisms, prevent duplication of functions and ensure that Provincial Councils are equipped with the administrative, technical and financial capacity necessary to discharge devolved responsibilities effectively.”

For regions like Bulawayo and the wider Matabeleland provinces, the continued failure to introduce the Bill leaves vital questions surrounding metropolitan governance, regional development planning, resource sharing, and local accountability in limbo.

Devolution was formally enshrined in Chapter 14 of Zimbabwe’s 2013 Constitution to decentralise governmental powers, responsibilities, and resources from central government to provincial, metropolitan, and local authorities. The constitutional framework aims to foster national unity, enhance public participation in local governance, ensure equitable sharing of national and local resources, and allow communities to manage their own local affairs and development priorities. However, more than a decade after the adoption of the supreme law, the full operationalisation of these governance tiers remains constrained by the absence of an enabling Act of Parliament.

Community Podium is the recipient of the 2025 Outstanding NGO Reporting Award. This reflects our dedication to amplifying community voices and advancing public-interest journalism.