Zimbabwe Government Mandates Service Delivery Standards for 2026 Road Rehabilitation
The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works has announced the implementation of mandatory minimum service delivery standards and enhanced Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to address deteriorating infrastructure in Gweru. Following a parliamentary inquiry by Mkoba South MP, Hon. John Kuka regarding the state of Bristol and Matopo Roads, Deputy Minister Albert Mavunga confirmed that central government will now enforce specific mileage benchmarks for local authorities, while encouraging engagement with private entities like Unki Mine to bridge funding gaps.
Delicious Mathuthu 
Harare - Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Local Government and Public Works has announced a shift toward mandatory service delivery benchmarks and private-sector partnerships to address the deteriorating road infrastructure in Zimbabwe.
During a Parliamentary debate session recently, Mkoba South Member of Parliament, Hon. John Kuka, raised a motion specifically targeting the involvement of Unki Mine in road rehabilitation in and around Gweru.
Hon. John Kuka
Hon. Kuka argued that because the mining company utilizes the roads daily to transport personnel, it should be formally engaged under a social responsibility framework to assist in repairs.
Local Government Deputy Minister, Albert Mavhunga, was also asked on the continuing government's failure to rehabilitate critical transport arteries, specifically Gweru’s Mkoba South, Ascot, Bristol and Matopo Roads.
The debate highlighted growing tension between local authority budget cycles and the lived reality of residents in the city of Gweru.
Deputy Minister Mavhunga revealed that the central government will move beyond mere oversight by implementing "minimum service delivery standards" in 2026.
The policy is designed to compel local authorities to meet specific infrastructure quotas that have previously been neglected.
"Central Government will be highly invested in the type, the quantity and the cost of service delivery, which will be delivered by these local authorities," Hon. Mavhunga told the House.
"We will continue to monitor the situation and ensure that the minimum kilometres required for rehabilitation will be done," he said
To address the funding gap, the Ministry is also pivoting toward Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).
Mavhunga urged the Gweru local authority to formalize "triple P" arrangements with corporate entities to bolster limited municipal resources.
"The local authority, if they do not have enough capacity and enough resources, we are asking them to engage private players so that they can come together, form a partnership and be able to deliver the services required," Deputy Minister Mavhunga stated.
While the Deputy Minister noted that the roads are included in the 2026 strategic plan, Hon. Kuka dismissed the assurance as a recurring but unfulfilled promise.
"I heard him (Deputy Minister Mavhunga) saying that the local authorities have included those roads in their budgets, but all the budgets, even in 2025, included those roads but nothing has been done," Kuka argued.
The Mkoba South legislator's primary contention remains that the government must create a clear policy to allow capable private users to "chip in," citing the perennial failure of local councils to execute their allocated budgets.
