Challenges to Urban Democratic Governance in Zimbabwe : The Case of the Appointment of Special Interest Councillors in Urban Local Councils

Challenges to Urban Democratic Governance in Zimbabwe is a result of a study on urban governance in Zimbabwe focusing particularly on local councils and how special interest councillors are appointed by the Minister responsible for local government. The book establishes the extent to which the practice of appointing special interest councillors in terms of section 4 A of the Zimbabwe Urban Councils' Act (2008) promotes, or hinders, democratic urban governance. The text investigates various different legislative instruments in order to present a normative framework on the best practices in democratic urban governance. A cross section of 20 urban councils was studied to establish a suitable level of accountability and consistency, as well as to provide an understanding of transparency in the appointment of special interest councillors. Among the findings of this book, it is noted that there is a high level of partisanship in the appointment of special interest councillors, especially of those who have lost in the local government elections but belong to the same political party as the Minister of Local Government, who, in this case, is empowered by law to make such appointments.