By Chris Musekiwa
The Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Honourable Daniel Garwe, has described the recent launch of the Citizen Engagement and Scoring Platform (CESP) as a major milestone in Government’s drive to modernise local authorities and improve service delivery in line with Vision 2030. The President, His Excellency Dr Emmerson D. Mnangagwa officially launched CESP.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Garwe said the platform reflects the Government’s commitment to a modern, efficient and citizen-centred public sector, with reforms under President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration now being turned into practical, measurable action.
He said the launch builds on the Call-to-Action Blueprint, themed “No Compromise to Service Delivery,” introduced in November 2023 to transform local authorities and support Zimbabwe’s goal of attaining an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
Minister Garwe said the subsequent adoption of Minimum Service Delivery Standards had provided clear benchmarks to guide councils in delivering quality, timely and equitable services to residents.
Through the new platform, residents will be able to directly assess the performance of their respective local authorities and provide feedback that can be used to address service delivery gaps. Minister Garwe said this would ensure that excellence in service delivery is measured not only through internal compliance, but also through citizen participation.
The platform is expected to cover key service areas such as water, sanitation, solid waste management, roads and pothole management, corporate governance, health and environment, housing and social amenities. It also uses digital tools, including data analytics, to help local authorities draw broader conclusions from residents’ feedback.
Minister Garwe said the constitutional principles of devolution and decentralisation citizen participation are the anchors of CESP, noting that the platform gives communities in both urban centres and rural areas an opportunity to participate in the modernisation of local governance.
He said the initiative would help ensure that devolution becomes a living system of accountability and partnership with communities, rather than merely a fiscal or administrative arrangement. Citizens, he added, should be active contributors to governance and development, not passive recipients of services.
Minister Garwe commended the reform-oriented leadership driving the modernisation of local governance systems and reaffirmed his ministry’s commitment to supporting local authorities in implementing the Call-to-Action Blueprint. He said the ministry would continue to emphasise professionalism, transparency, responsiveness and accountability as councils work to improve services and rebuild public trust.