The battle for control of Zimbabwe’s cities: exploring governance conflicts and causal links for operation Murambatsvina (Operation Restore Order):Paper presented at the Social Science Research Seminar Series at the Batanai Campus on 26 November, 2005.

Abstract

The paper analyses urban governance conflictual situations that culminated in Operation Murambatsvina. At the centre of the conflict is shrinking democratic space caused by hostile interfaces between central government, local authorities and civil society. To wrestle authority from local authorities, central government uses a labyrinth of strategies ranging from introduction of parallel spheres of governance, unitary, conflictual and variable application of town planning and housing standards, politicizing poverty, and using ministerial directives to veto local authority decisions and therefore suppress popular participation in governance.