By George Makoni
HARARE — Resident associations from across Zimbabwe are calling for citizen satisfaction to become a key measure of local authority performance as they push for stronger implementation of the Minimum Service Delivery Standards (MSDS).
The demand was made in Harare today at a meeting organised by the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) under the theme “Strengthening Citizen-led Accountability Systems for Improved Local Service Delivery in Zimbabwe.”
The meeting brought together representatives of residents’ associations and civil society organisations from different parts of the country to assess progress on the MSDS and identify gaps in their implementation.
The standards provide benchmarks for essential local authority services, including water, sanitation, waste management, roads and public health, amid persistent service delivery challenges affecting communities across Zimbabwe.
CHRA chairperson David Pasipanodya said the meeting had three main objectives: assessing progress in developing and implementing the MSDS, strengthening mechanisms for monitoring local authority performance, and generating recommendations for improving the standards.
CHRA director Reuben Akili said civil society organisations should maintain their watchdog role to ensure the standards are continuously reviewed and improved.
“CSOs need to continuously play a watchdog role in ensuring that the MSDS are continuously refined,” Akili said.
Marvelous Kumalo, director of Chitungwiza Manyame Residents Association, said residents should have a stronger voice in shaping and assessing the standards.
“There is need to amplify the voices of residents in the MSDS, and citizen satisfaction should be the central indicator,” Kumalo said.
Claude Phuti of Bulawayo Residents Association said the standards should not be reduced to technical targets for councils, but should reflect the actual quality and accessibility of services received by communities.
“If you are analysing MSDS, the key point is that they should not be treated merely as technical targets for council,” Phuti said.
Meanwhile, Mary Nyadome, a women’s rights activist from Goromonzi, called for women to be given dedicated platforms to participate in the process, arguing that they experience service delivery challenges differently and may not freely contribute in mixed-gender meetings.
She also urged organisers to create dedicated engagements for youths and persons with disabilities to ensure their concerns are adequately captured.
The meeting recommended that citizen satisfaction be incorporated alongside technical indicators when assessing service delivery, while local authorities should regularly publish their performance against agreed standards.
Participants also called for regular reviews involving residents’ associations, accessible complaints mechanisms, stronger community monitoring and social audits, and clear corrective measures and timelines where service delivery targets are missed.
The meeting comes amid continuing concerns over water shortages, poor waste management, deteriorating roads and inadequate sanitation in communities across Zimbabwe.
Participants said the MSDS should ultimately provide a practical measure of whether local authorities are delivering reliable, accessible and quality services to the communities they serve.
