Staff Reporter
The directors at the Municipality of Redcliff have signed performance-based contracts aimed at improving service delivery and aligning council operations with government-set targets.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Municipality of Redcliff Business Development Manager Ernest Chigwagwa said the initiative falls under the Government’s Integrated Results-Based Management system, which seeks to track the performance of local authorities.
“This programme is under the integrated results-based system introduced by the Government of Zimbabwe, whose main thrust is to track performance of councils in terms of service delivery to residents,” Chigwagwa said.
He noted that performance-based contracts were introduced in 2020 and initially focused on senior leadership, including the mayor and town clerk.
“Previously, these contracts were mainly signed by the town clerk and His Worship the mayor, with quarterly evaluations conducted by private consultants to assess progress against set targets,” he said.
Chigwagwa said the latest development marks a shift towards broader accountability, with heads of departments (HODs) now directly involved.
“Today we are cascading the design of these contracts to cover heads of departments because they are the ones doing the actual work on the ground,” he said.
He said the contracts serve as a commitment by departmental heads to meet targets outlined in the municipality’s strategic plan.
“These contracts are a pledge to the community of Redcliff that the targets contained in our strategic plan will be achieved,” he said.
Chigwagwa added that councils are now required to meet minimum service delivery standards set by the government, replacing the previous system where local authorities set their own targets.
“In this case, targets are now set by the Government of Zimbabwe. For instance, water supply is targeted at 100 percent and that is what departments are now committing to deliver,” he said.
He said the performance of departments would be monitored through quarterly evaluations at both local and national levels.
“We expect quarterly evaluations to start at local authority level so that progress is continuously tracked and informs subsequent assessments,” Chigwagwa said.
The move is expected to strengthen accountability within the municipality and improve the delivery of essential services to residents.
