Harare, (New Ziana)- The Zimbabwe government has approved the Minimum Service Delivery Standards Framework for Local Authorities, a pivotal step in operationalising the Blueprint titled “A Call to Action. No Compromise to Service Delivery,” a Cabinet Minister said on Tuesday.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa in November 2023 launched the local authorities’s blueprint on service delivery, which is expected to drive towards the attainment of the national vision to become an upper middle income society by 2030.
Addressing the media after the Cabinet meeting, Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Jenfan Muswere said the Framework is designed to guide and standardise the way local authorities, both urban and rural, deliver essential services.
It comes as part of the government’s broader strategy to modernise local governance in line with the national development agenda, Vision 2030.
“Cabinet considered and approved the Minimum Service Delivery Standards for Local Authorities Framework. The nation will recall that in 2023 His Excellency the President, Cde Dr E.D. Mnangagwa officially launched the Blueprint on A call to Action. No compromise to Service Delivery: First stage of interventions to modernise the Operations of Local Authorities towards Vision 2030”, Muswere said.
Following the 2023 Ppresidential directive, local authorities were tasked with creating roadmaps to transform service delivery.
In response, the central government has developed the Framework to ensure that services are delivered efficiently, consistently, and transparently across all regions.
Key objectives of the Framework include defining the minimum level and quality of services residents can expect, including timelines and cost, setting cost benchmarks for service provision, ensuring uniformity and consistency in delivery across the country as well as creating a structured system for evaluating citizen satisfaction with local services.
“The Framework covers critical service areas such as water supply, sanitation, solid waste management, roads and public lighting, corporate governance, public health, environmental management, and housing and community services, with each sector featuring specific performance indicators and benchmarks to measure effectiveness,” said Muswere.
He said to bolster transparency and accountability, local authorities will now submit data online whilst a real-time dashboard system will track performance, enabling central government and the public to monitor progress and flag areas of concern.
New Ziana
