Vusumuzi Dube
The Provincial and Metropolitan Councils Administration Bill has been referred to Cabinet for further guidance after local authorities that convened in the capital on Thursday felt there are certain areas that need clarity.
Briefing the media soon after the meeting, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said a team led by deputy chief secretary to the Office of the President and Cabinet Willard Manungo has been established to come up with a paper to be taken to Cabinet for further guidance on the contentious areas.
These include the relationship between the office of the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution and that of the Provincial Council that are in the Bill.
Other Ministries represented in the committee include Local Governement and Public Works, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministries of State for Provincial affairs and Devolution, and the Attoney General’s Office.
“What we were deliberating on, we were deliberating on the Provincial and Metropolitan Council Bill. What motivated this meeting is we felt there were a lot of issues that we needed to discuss first before we convene a proper Cabinet Committee on Legislation so that we take the Bill to Cabinet for consideration.
“There were issues that we felt we needed guidance from Cabinet and hence we have tasked the Office of the President under the deputy chief secretary to chair the process and we refine and we pick out a couple of issues that we will then refer to Cabinet for guidance for us now to then reconvene and finalize the Bill,” said Ziyambi.
He said the Bill is important but they need clarity on the nature of the roles of different tiers of Government and what exactly is the policy direction that the principals require them to undertake in ensuring that they come up with the Bill.
Ziyambi said since the year is coming to an end, the Bill will be one of the priorities for next year. He said the Bill is a culmination of a Constitutional requirement which speaks about the Provincial and Metropolitan Councils, indicating the need for the devolution of certain powers of central government to provinces and Metropolitan Councils like Harare and Bulawayo.
“So the Bill actually creates that tier of Government that would determine how provincial economies are to be managed,” said Ziyambi.
Also addressing the media, Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe said devolution is all about removing responsibilities from one central point to lower structures, with the benefit that decisions will be made within the shortest possible time, both at provincial and district level.
“Resources in specific jurisdictions therefore means will be utilised predominantly in those provinces. So devolution is a game-changer, devolution is what the President has been pushing us the Ministers responsible, to ensure that the Bill is activated and speeded up in terms of its processing,” he said.
Garwe said although they have already started devolution programs in district councils, the President wants to law to be effected.
New Ziana
Siphakeme .Mnindwa
