State and Civil Society-led Peace Committees in Zimbabwe

This study focused on the value of local peace committeesLocal Peace Committees (LPCs) in ZimbabweZimbabwe. Local peace committees were created by the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC), which operates at the provincial level in all the administrative provinces of the country. Several other committees that are operational at different levels were formed by various civil society organisationsCivil society organisations in the country. Notable civil society organisations that have set up local peace committeesLocal Peace Committees in ZimbabweZimbabwe include the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), the Zimbabwe Civic Education Trust (ZIMCET) and the Institute for Young Women DevelopmentInstitute for Young Women Development (IYWD). The study found that the LPCsLocal Peace Committees that were set up by the NPRC are operational at the provincial level, thus making them less visible at the district and ward levels. On the other hand, the LPCs set up by the ZCC are visible from the national level right down to the ward level. The other organisations operate LPCs that are largely localised at the ward level. The chapter argued that stateState-led LPCsLocal Peace Committees have not yielded the much-needed transformative effect because of the way they are set up. They are dominated by senior government officials and traditional leaders, most of whom are accused of being partisan. On the other hand, the CSO-led LPCs have also failed to deliver the goodGoodss because their working relationship with the government is very constrained as they are often accused of having sinister agendas. Although there is greater room for collaboration between state-led and non-state civil society organisationsCivil society organisations (CSOs), these actors have failed to effectively work together for the good of the people. The chapter recommends that they seriously consider working together to enhance the effectiveness of the LPCsLocal Peace Committees.