Does Institutionalizing Social Accountability Enhance Municipal Governance? A Case Study of the Harare City Council By SAKAROMBE, Walter Mutsa THESIS Submitted to KDI School of Public Policy and Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF DEVELOPMENT POLICY 2016 Does Institutionalizing Social Accountability Enhance Municipal Governance? A Case Study of the Harare City Council By SAKAROMBE, Walter Mutsa THESIS Submitted to KDI School of Public Policy and Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF DEVELOPMENT POLICY 2016 Professor Reed Edward P. Does Institutionalizing Social Accountability Enhance Municipal Governance? A Case Study of the Harare City Council By SAKAROMBE, Walter Mutsa THESIS Submitted to KDI School of Public Policy and Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF DEVELOPMENT POLICY Committee in charge: Professor Reed Edward P., Supervisor ___________________ Professor Seulki Choi ___________________ Professor Changyong Choi ___________________ Approval as of February, 2016 ABSTRACT Social accountability has, throughout the past few decades, emerged as an essential means through which residents within Council jurisdictions participate in local governance. This paper explores the conceptual and contextual issues to the notion of social accountability within the context of the city of Harare. Has the local authority institutionalized social accountability adequately to promote effective municipal governance? What have been the key challenges affecting realization of optimal social accountability outcomes? A comprehensive review of relevant sector literature shows that participatory governance has not been attained in Harare. A purely qualitative methodology was used as part of generating relevant data. Through an analysis of primary data generated during fieldwork, this researcher concludes that citizen participation in urban governance in Harare is tokenistic. Residents are only engaged to rubberstamp decisions exclusively made by Council technocrats. This researcher recommends that there be a paradigmatic shift to ensure that local governance is participatory, egalitarian and responsive. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This researcher humbly acknowledges the selfless support that was provided by the supervisors Professor CHOI, Seulki (PhD) and Professor REED, Edward (PhD). Heartfelt appreciation is also extended to key informants from the: Harare City Council; Ministry of Local Government, National Housing and Public Works; Harare Residents Trust; Centre for Applied Social Sciences Trust (University of Zimbabwe); Department of Rural and Urban Planning (University of Zimbabwe); Zimbabwe Institute of Rural and Urban Planners; Development Governance Institute; Local Government Board of Zimbabwe; Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front; Movement for Democratic Change; Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe; Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe; Zimbabwe Council of Churches; Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Centre and Network; Housing and Land Developers Association of Zimbabwe; and National Association of Non-Governmental Organizations. Above all, this researcher heartily thanks the residents of Harare who took part in the data generation phase of this research as respondents and discussants. GLORY IS TO GOD FOR THE GOOD AND MIGHTY THINGS HE HAS DONE! Contents ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................................. 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................................... 3 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTORY ................................................................................................................ 7 1.0 Chapter Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 7 1.1 Harare: Historical evolution and present governance regime ............................................................. 7 1.2 Problem statement and justification of the study ................................................................................ 8 1.3 Research rationale ............................................................................................................................... 8 1.3.1 Aim .............................................................................................................................................. 8 1.3.1 Objectives .................................................................................................................................... 8 1.3.2 Research hypothesis ..................................................................................................................... 9 1.3.3 Research questions ....................................................................................................................... 9 1.4 Methodology ....................................................................................................................................... 9 1.5 Organization of this paper ................................................................................................................... 9 1.6 Chapter conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 10 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................... 11 2.1 Chapter Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 11 2.2 Defining social accountability ...................................................................................................... 11 2.3 Conceptual clarity and framework ................................................................................................ 11 2.4 Contextual social accountability perspectives .................................................................................. 13 2.4.1 Basic elements of social accountability ..................................................................................... 13 2.3.2 Social accountability tools ......................................................................................................... 15 2.3.2 Guiding principles and approaches ............................................................................................ 16 2.4 A global synopsis .............................................................................................................................. 18 2.4. 1. Civil society-driven social accountability systems in Africa ................................................... 19 2.4.2 The Asian Experience ................................................................................................................ 21 2.5 The local context: The Zimbabwean dimension ............................................................................... 21 2.5.1 The socio-economic perspectives .............................................................................................. 22 2.5.2 Politico-institutional dynamics .................................................................................................. 22 2.5.3 The Constitutional dispensation ................................................................................................. 23 2.5.4 Anchoring legislative environment and impact on social accountability .................................. 24 Social Accountability and Municipal Governance 2.5.5 The Service Delivery Capacity Building Programme (2013) .................................................... 24 2.5.6 Devolution .................................................................................................................................. 25 2.5.7 ‘Checks and balances’ institutions ............................................................................................. 25 2.6 Civil society experiences in Zimbabwe ............................................................................................ 26 2.6.1 Residents’ associations .............................................................................................................. 26 2.6.2 Special interest groups ............................................................................................................... 27 2.6.3 Non-state actors.......................................................................................................................... 27 2.7 Chapter conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 27 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ............................................................... 29 3.0 Chapter introduction ......................................................................................................................... 29 3.1 Methodological design ...................................................................................................................... 29 3.2 Case study approach ......................................................................................................................... 30 3.3 Target population .............................................................................................................................. 30 3.4 Sampling framework