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(NEWZIMBABWE) Ndlovu backs devolution calls

Ndlovu backs devolution calls
05/06/2009 00:00:00
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FORMER cabinet minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu has called for an “informed debate” on devolution after Water Resources Minister Sam Sipepa Nkomo said the MDC would support the decentralisation of government to five provinces.

Ndlovu said: “The Matabeleland region is the richest in terms of resources but it is home to the poorest people. ” The former Information Minister and Zanu PF politburo member said devolution, “as long as it is for equitable distribution of resources might be the way to go”.

He added: “We have been complaining as Matabeleland of lack of resources. Even while in government, some of us were complaining about this. Roads have not been completed and we are lagging behind other areas in terms of development.

“Matabeleland South has gold and cattle while Matabeleland North is rich in minerals, has the Hwange National Park and the country’s premier resort, the Victoria Falls, but proceeds from these economic ventures are not necessarily developing the province.

“In Lupane, you find children in classrooms without benches when they are in the middle of a forest with plenty of timber. Let us have an informed debate on it, and with development at the centre. ”

Nkomo advocated for the country’s 10 provinces to be reduced to five, each with their own elected local government officials. He said South Africa’s regional parliaments were a good model.

The campaign for devolution is set to take centre stage when a new constitution is drawn up in the next two years.

The matter is a political hot potato in Matabeleland in particular where opposition to centralised government is strongest. The main political parties in the region are keen to pull the rug from under the feet of the revived ZAPU, and may all find themselves supporting devolution.

Paul Siwela, leader of the Federal Democratic Union and also a member of ZAPU, has been a vocal advocate for a variant of devolution – federalism.

“The term devolution sounds erudite but at the end of the day, the political architecture to achieve this is federalism,” he told the Chronicle on Wednesday.

“The concept is based on the fact that much power should rest with the constituent members of that federation than in a centralised government. In other words, the province or region has its own parliament, its own judiciary and an elected leader as opposed to the present set-up where Provincial Governors are appointed.

“In terms of taxation you might have a system where the region collects taxes for its own use and also revenue for the federal government. In that way, locals are able to benefit from local resources.

“The main issue is power in its real sense. The Provincial Governors have no Cabinet, no constitution, no budget for the development of the province — no power in other words. ”

Pathisa Nyathi, a Bulawayo-based historian weighed in on the debate, saying devolution was the “missing tier in governance in Zimbabwe”.

He added: “The concept of devolution of power is very simple. We need to differentiate it from de-congestion. When we talk about de-congestion, we are talking about assigning certain functions of central government to a region, which is an aspect of decentralisation.

“What we have in Zimbabwe are regional offices of a central government with no legislative powers. Our Provincial Governors have no legislative powers. They might have powers but they are not legislative.

“That is the missing tier. At the lowest level there is representation through the rural district councils in the case of rural areas, and urban councils in the case of towns and cities, which are elected bodies and to an extent have legislative powers, although defined, in that these councils can make by-laws and also collect revenue and taxes but the same thing does not exist at provincial level.

“So, devolving power would fill that void in the case of Zimbabwe. We are talking of a situation where a province has its own parliament with an assembly of elected representatives including a prime minister in the same manner as South Africa for instance.

“Devolution will give the various regions a knife with which to cut the national cake. Essentially, the system allows for local autonomy. Anybody who opposes devolution is selfish. What do you lose by devolving legislative power?”

Labels: DEVOLUTION, REGIONALISM, SIKHANYISO NDLOVU

posted by MrK @ 3:37 AM