Browsing by Author "Marumahoko, Sylvester"

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    Constitution-making in Zimbabwe : assessing institutions and processes
    (University of the Western Cape, 2016) Marumahoko, Sylvester; Fessha, Yonatan Tesfaye; De Ville, Jacques
    Since its conquest by Britain in 1890, Zimbabwe has witnessed a series of constitution-making projects. Spanning over 100 years, the question of constitutional development has continued to dominate public debate. The end of colonial rule did not see an end to the demand for a constitution that is legitimate and durable. The search for an enduring and good constitution continued into the 21st century. With the unveiling of the 2013 constitution-making project, however, it seemed as if a long lasting solution had been 'delivered' on the question of a legitimate and durable constitution. The thesis assesses the questions of institutions and processes in Zimbabwe’s quest to construct a new constitution. It contends that institutions and processes used to make constitutions are as important as the contents of a final constitution. That is why more time and efforts are often spent negotiating the twin questions of institutions and processes of constitution-making than is spent negotiating the content of a constitution. With this in mind, the thesis develops standards for assessing institutions and processes used in successive constitution-making projects in Zimbabwe. A major finding of the assessment is that the twin questions of institutions and processes were neglected in all constitution-making efforts undertaken in Zimbabwe, including that which culminated in the creation of the Constitution of 2013. The thesis maintains that a lot of significance must be attached to the design of institutions and processes of constitution making if a constitution is to be enduring and widely accepted as legitimate.
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    The idea of a new Zimbabwe post- Mugabe
    (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020) Chigwata, Tinashe; Marumahoko, Sylvester
    Zimbabwe has gone through deep political, economic and social challenges for close to three decades. Once known as the shining light of Africa, Zimbabwe is now often known for dominating international headlines for the wrong reasons. In November 2017, the country experienced a radical change to the constitutional and political order, which brought an end to former President Robert Mugabe’s 37-year reign. Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was once Mugabe’s right-hand man, assumed leadership of both the country and the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF). He was reelected in the July 2018 harmonised elections, although under disputed circumstances. The removal of Robert Mugabe has provided the country an opportunity to break from the past, and hopes have been raised for the birth of a new Zimbabwe. This chapter explores some of the measures that the administration post-Mugabe should implement to set the country on a new path. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is not to argue for a particular political formation or political leaders to govern. Rather, its objective is to explore whether the idea of a new Zimbabwe is possible and what it would take to realise this objective. Before discussing the prospects for this desired state of affairs, it is important to examine the current situation, which is explored in the first part of the chapter. A brief overview of the fall of Mugabe and rise of Mnangagwa is then provided to show how a leader who commanded respect beyond the shores of our continent could exit in such an undignified manner. The core section is dedicated to a discussion of the prospects for a new Zimbabwe, and concluding remarks end the chapter.
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    Intergovernmental planning and budgeting in Zimbabwe: Learning the lessons of the past
    (Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance, 2017) Chigwata, Tinashe Calton; Marumahoko, Sylvester
    In Zimbabwe, the Prime Minister’s Directives on Decentralisation and Development of 1984 and 1985, together with the Provincial Council and Administration Act 1985, constitute the foundation for postindependence attempts to ensure effective governance. The Directives provided for the establishment of hierarchical structures and mechanisms to coordinate government activities, including development planning at various levels of government. This paper asks whether these structures and mechanisms have been effective in promoting ‘sound’ intergovernmental planning and budgeting, and whether they are still relevant given that in 2013 Zimbabwe adopted a new Constitution with greater promises, visions and demands than its predecessor, the Lancaster House Constitution. The paper argues that the adoption of a new Constitution provides a valuable opportunity to reform the intergovernmental planning and budgeting process, which to date has proved ineffective in fostering integrated and coherent effective governance.
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    Participatory Budgeting in the City of Kwekwe (Zimbabwe) A perspective on the Issues, Trends and Options
    (African Journal of Public Affairs, 2018) Marumahoko, Sylvester; Chigwata, Tinashe Calton; Nhende, Norman
    Towards the end of 2017, as has been the case every year, the Kwekwe City Council produced a budget outlining its various activities for the 2018 financial year. The unveiling of the 2018 budget was, among other things, accompanied by disgruntlement, confrontation, street protests and dejection by the inhabitants of the City. At the centre of the problem, city inhabitants argued, was the failure of the City Council to proactively engage and involve them in the budget formulation and claims that previous budgets have failed to tackle poor service delivery. On the other hand, the City Council (comprising the administration and elected officials) rebutted these claims although there was general acceptance that the level of service delivery does not meet the expectations of the citizens of Kwekwe. The article, in the context of contributing to the debate on good governance, challenges the claim that the budgeting process in the City of Kwekwe is participatory.
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    Testing the boundaries of Zimbabwe's fiscal decentralisation for urban councils
    (University of the Western Cape, 2010) Marumahoko, Sylvester; Fessha, Yonatan; Faculty of Law
    There is a realisation that urbanisation has overstretched the ability and efforts of central governments to serve from the centre, thus, giving rise to the search for a robust decentralisation policy that vests urban local governments with some level of autonomy.1 It is in this context that decentralisation has become critical in order to sufficiently respond to the varied service delivery challenges brought about by increasing urbanisation. However, all efforts to capacitate urban councils through the process of decentralisation are futile if the urban local governments lack the necessary financial means to fulfil their responsibilities.