The impact of transparency and accountability on service delivery: An analysis of Municipalities of Zimbabwe

Abstract

The study was motivated by mass media reports highlighting that urban dwellers have been complaining about poor service delivery provided by the majority of municipalities in Zimbabwe. Some of these complains include issues of water supply and its quality, solid waste disposal and collection, poor road network services, and dysfunctional sewage systems. The study covered the period of 12 months (June 2012 to May 2013) and surveys were conducted in five selected cities to assess the relationship between transparency, accountability and service delivery in Zimbabwe’s major cities’ municipalities. The objectives of the study were to identify the tools and mechanisms used by municipalities and establish if transparency and accountability exist in the urban municipalities. Yamane’s formula was used to calculate the total sample size from a total population of 2,361,751 from the five study cities and the total sample size was 100 participants. From each city, a study sample of 20 participants were randomly selected and self administered questionnaire used to collect data leading to the assessment of the relationship between transparency, accountability, and service delivery. Study used Interviewer administered questionnaire to collect data from City Administrators; leading to the evaluation of tools and mechanisms which were being used by cities municipalities. However, research revealed that the electronic print media (newspapers) used in all municipalities with only two cities, Harare and Bulawayo using the websites to publish notices and advertisements. Other tools such as Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys (PETS), Citizen Report Cards (CRD), Waste Disposal Reports and Community Property Reports tools were not being used. More than 80% of the respondents in the study were not having enough knowledge on how municipalities operate. These respondents perceived that lack of transparency and accountability also contributing to the reasons why citizens were not knowledgeable of what was happening and why certain decisions were made; resulting in increased resistance in paying their taxes and bills. Results suggest that a positive correlation between transparency, accountability and service delivery existed with Pearson correlation coefficient (r) = 0.517. From the study findings, it can be recommended that municipalities International Journal of Governance Volume 4 Issue 1 March 2014 Type: Double Blind Peer Reviewed International Research Journal Publisher: IJG Malaysia Print ISSN: 2224-5359

should use websites to educate city residents and the municipal officials so that they know the importance of accountability and transparency.