THE Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Cde July Moyo has urged traditional leaders to be development-oriented in their planning and advance the government vision of attaining an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
The Minister of Local government and public works who was addressing Chiefs during a strategic planning workshop in Mutare says traditional leaders play a critical role in governance issues.
Cognisance of traditional leaders’ critical role in society, Minister Moyo says there are proposals to introduce municipal courts to ensure rural council by-laws are enforced.
“There is a need for traditional leaders to give due attention to issues of development that are at the centre of government priorities and vision. There is a need for traditional leaders plans to support the government vision on the attainment of an upper-middle-income economy by 2030. There are also proposals to establish municipal courts in towns as well as putting in place laws that ensure rural councils by-laws are enforced by primary and local courts,” he said.
Minister Moyo called for detailed research on the country’s chieftainship and documentation of the findings saying the history of the country cannot be told without the history of traditional leadership.
All this, he says require planning and a budget.
“There is a need to conduct research on the country’s chieftainship whose history was affected and distorted by the colonialists. The history of the country cannot be talked about without the history of chieftainship. You can utilize universities to embark on such research. Colonizers dethroned leaders who opposed their imperialist missions thereby affecting and distorting the original chieftainship hierarchy,” he said.
The minister also said the alignment of the laws affecting the traditional institution to the constitution is underway while issues of administration and welfare of chiefs will not be ignored in the development matrix.
