Accueil / Bases de connaissances / Associations nationales de collectivités territoriales / Zimbabwe Local Government Association (ZILGA)

Zimbabwe Local Government Association (ZILGA)

House 86 Selous Avenue Harare Association
PO Box BE 411 Harare
Tel : +263 712 413 833/+263 773405778
Email sg (@) ardcz.org | lmutekede (@) ucaz.org

12 mai 2021

Afrique australe / Zimbabwe

The association, Zimbabwe Local Government Association (ZILGA) provides a platform for lobbying and advocacy. It brings together established associations for urban (UCAZ) and rural (ARDCZ) local governments. Through its various platforms and activities ZILGA is thus the mechanism through which local governments navigate the national governance institutional framework. UCAZ is one of Africa’s oldest associations of local authorities having been established in 1923 as a loose forum of Municipalities before adopting a Constitution seventeen (17) years later in 1940 becoming the Local Government Association of Southern Rhodesia with a permanent Secretariat. It changed names as the country went through political transitions until independence. The last constitutional review was in 2002. The Association of Rural District Councils of Zimbabwe (ARDCZ) came under the 1988 Amalgamation Act. Because the Act was held in abeyance till 1993 the association was thus officially established that year. Both associations (and by extension ZILGA) pursue the mission of advancing and safeguarding the rights, powers and duties of local authorities in furtherance of their service delivery and overall development mandate.

The constituent associations forming ZILGA have longstanding relations with national government often working through the national Ministry responsible for local government. Members of the association and their secretariat hold meetings and invite Ministry and other state institutions to their general meetings where they raise strategic issues. The Ministry also involves the associations in strategic engagements at times on issue-basis. Besides engaging on an ad hoc basis, the association also developed an advocacy plan, the Devolution implementation Matrix to focus engagement with national government on devolution.
The engagement was initiated at two 2019 national meetings separately organised by the two associations and is continuing with EU support through the Local Authority Capacity Enhancement Project (LACEP), which is providing technical advice to ZILGA.