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JOURNAL OF UWC FACULTY OF LAW | ISSN 2077-4907 | Short URL www.ldd.org.za

Special interest councillors in Zimbabwe: A review of law and practice in terms of the 2013 Constitution, pg 157

Volume: Volume 17 - 2013

Article type: Refereed article

Author/s: De Visser, Jaap and Mapuva, Jephias

Local governance in Zimbabwe has a chequered history. Despite high hopes for democratic local governance on the attainment of political independence in 1980, it has often defied democratic practice and is yet to bring tangible benefits to communities. Attempts at democratising local governance through the amendment of local government legislation have not yet brought about vibrant democratic practices. This article explores section 4A of the Urban Councils Act, which provides that the Minister of Local Government may appoint special interest councillors onto urban councils. It examines the extent to which this has enhanced or inhibited democratic local governance. It then proceeds to examine this phenomenon against regional instruments on local democracy and finally assesses whether it can stand the test of the freshly promulgated Constitution.

About the author/s

Jaap De Visser

Director: Dullah Omar Institute, Faculty of Law, UWC

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Jephias Mapuva

Faculty of Science Education, Bindura University of Science Education, Zimbabwe;Faculty of Law, Midlands State University, Gweru-Zimbabwe, respectively.

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