In a stern move aimed at salvaging the nation’s service delivery standards, the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Hon. Daniel Garwe, has issued a final warning to local authority officials, declaring that those who fail to meet basic service benchmarks will face “ruthless and brutal” sanctions.
Speaking during the 2025 Local Authorities’ Performance Evaluation Feedback Session held in the capital on Wednesday, Minister Garwe signaled the end of an era characterized by administrative complacency, financial mismanagement, and deteriorating municipal services.
The Minister’s warning comes on the heels of the newly gazetted Statutory Instrument 69 of 2026, which empowers the Ministry to penalize non-compliant officials with unprecedented severity. Sanctions on the table include immediate suspension, dismissal, and even restrictions on local and international travel for both management and councilors.
“The era of poor service delivery is officially over,” Hon. Garwe declared. “In terms of Statutory Instrument 69 of 2026, the Ministry will relentlessly, ruthlessly, and brutally penalize non-compliant and non-performing officials. Service delivery is the only metric that matters.”
Independent evaluations conducted by Best Practices (Pvt) Ltd revealed a stark contrast in performance across the country’s 92 local authorities. While some councils have shown a positive trajectory, many remain bogged down by inefficiency.
The Minister attributed much of this failure to a skewed expenditure pattern, where councils prioritize administrative luxuries, workshops, and bloated salaries over essential infrastructure. To rectify this, the Government has enforced a mandatory 70:30 expenditure framework. Under these regulations, at least 70 percent of all revenue must be channeled toward capital projects and direct service delivery, with administrative costs strictly capped at 30 percent.
Echoing the Minister’s sentiments, the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr. Martin Rushwaya, emphasized that local authorities are the bedrock of Zimbabwe’s development agenda. He noted that the attainment of Vision 2030 depends heavily on the quality of services provided at the local level.
“Local authorities are pivotal to the attainment of national development goals,” Dr. Rushwaya said. “The quality of service delivery determines the level of public trust that citizens place in Government institutions.”
The evaluation session also served to highlight excellence within the sector. Zvimba Rural District Council emerged as the top-performing local authority for 2025, followed closely by Mutare City Council and Kwekwe City Council.
As the feedback session concluded, Minister Garwe left the gathered mayors, chairpersons, and CEOs with no room for doubt: the tools and laws are now in place, and the Government will no longer tolerate anything less than excellence in the service of the people.