Minimum Service Delivery Standards Indicators for Local Authorities, Regulations, 2025

Made under both the Urban Councils Act and the Rural District Councils Act, these regulations set minimum service delivery standards for every urban and rural local authority in Zimbabwe, each with a 2026 target and a 2030 benchmark.

Water comes first. Basic water supply coverage must reach 90 per cent urban and 75 per cent rural by 2026 and 100 per cent by 2030, with water accessible within 100 metres in town and 500 metres or a 30-minute round trip in rural areas. Per capita supply must reach 100 litres a day urban and 60 rural in 2026, rising to 150 and 80 by 2030. Non-revenue water must fall to 30 per cent by 2026 and 25 per cent by 2030, with water audits every five years and a reduction strategy. Continuous supply must reach 20 hours a day by 2026 and 24 by 2030, and water quality must be 100 per cent compliant with the Public Health Act and WHO standards, tested regularly and independently.

Sanitation requires universal toilet coverage — within the property in urban areas and 20 metres in rural areas, with communal toilets within 50 metres and to be phased out — all with handwashing facilities, plus standards for collection, treatment quality and reuse of effluent.

Solid waste requires every urban property, including growth points, to have a containment facility, with collection at least weekly by refuse truck or skip, published collection timetables and up-to-date waste by-laws, and standards for recovery and scientific disposal.

Roads, drainage and lighting set a 2026 target of 60 per cent of roads in good condition (rising to 100 per cent by 2030) against a Visual Condition Index of at least 55 per cent and a gravel wearing course of at least 50 mm, 40 per cent of carriageway markings, 80 per cent of controlled intersections properly signed and lit, 70 per cent stormwater drainage functionality with no cultivation in road servitudes, 75 per cent public lighting coverage, and 80 per cent roads maintenance coverage with an annual maintenance plan and budget.

Customer service is measured throughout: complaints must be responded to, recorded and rectified within 48 hours, with a 95 per cent target for 2026 and 100 per cent by 2030, supported by client service charters and stocks of spares.

Further standards cover corporate governance, environmental stewardship and beautification — including veld fires, to be held at 1 per cent in 2026 and eliminated by 2030 under the Forest Act and EMA guidelines — public health, and housing and social amenities.