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<article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/" article-type="research-article" dtd-version="1.2" xml:lang="en"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">RUDN Journal of Public Administration</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title xml:lang="en">RUDN Journal of Public Administration</journal-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>Вестник Российского университета дружбы народов. Серия:  Государственное и муниципальное управление</trans-title></trans-title-group></journal-title-group><issn publication-format="print">2312-8313</issn><issn publication-format="electronic">2411-1228</issn><publisher><publisher-name xml:lang="en">Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba (RUDN University)</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">45057</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.22363/2312-8313-2025-12-1-29-46</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="edn">WTOBQD</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="en"><subject>International Experience of Public Administration</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="ru"><subject>Международный опыт государственного управления</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="article-type"><subject>Research Article</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title xml:lang="en">Colonial heritage and urban development: a critical study of Zimbabwe’s local government system</article-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>Колониальное наследие и городское развитие: исследование системы местного самоуправления Зимбабве</trans-title></trans-title-group></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8256-8828</contrib-id><name-alternatives><name xml:lang="en"><surname>Marumahoko</surname><given-names>Sylvester</given-names></name><name xml:lang="ru"><surname>Марумахоко</surname><given-names>Сильвестр</given-names></name></name-alternatives><bio xml:lang="en"><p>Doctor of Public Law, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Commerce</p></bio><bio xml:lang="ru"><p>доктор публичного права, старший преподаватель факультета коммерции</p></bio><email>marumahokos@zou.ac.zw</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9285-3075</contrib-id><name-alternatives><name xml:lang="en"><surname>Nhede</surname><given-names>Norman T.</given-names></name><name xml:lang="ru"><surname>Нхеде</surname><given-names>Норман Т.</given-names></name></name-alternatives><bio xml:lang="en"><p>Doctor of Administrative Sciences, Senior Lecturer at the School of Public Administration</p></bio><bio xml:lang="ru"><p>Университет Претории, Южно-Африканская Республика, 0028, Претория, пересечение дорог Линнвуд и Ропер Хатфилд</p></bio><email>norman.nhede@up.ac.za</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2"/></contrib></contrib-group><aff-alternatives id="aff1"><aff><institution xml:lang="en">Zimbabwe Open University</institution></aff><aff><institution xml:lang="ru">Открытый университет Зимбабве</institution></aff></aff-alternatives><aff-alternatives id="aff2"><aff><institution xml:lang="en">University of Pretoria</institution></aff><aff><institution xml:lang="ru">Университет Претории</institution></aff></aff-alternatives><pub-date date-type="pub" iso-8601-date="2025-07-03" publication-format="electronic"><day>03</day><month>07</month><year>2025</year></pub-date><volume>12</volume><issue>1</issue><issue-title xml:lang="en"/><issue-title xml:lang="ru"/><fpage>29</fpage><lpage>46</lpage><history><date date-type="received" iso-8601-date="2025-07-16"><day>16</day><month>07</month><year>2025</year></date></history><permissions><copyright-statement xml:lang="en">Copyright ©; 2025, Marumahoko S., Nhede N.T.</copyright-statement><copyright-statement xml:lang="ru">Copyright ©; 2025, Марумахоко С., Нхеде Н.Т.</copyright-statement><copyright-year>2025</copyright-year><copyright-holder xml:lang="en">Marumahoko S., Nhede N.T.</copyright-holder><copyright-holder xml:lang="ru">Марумахоко С., Нхеде Н.Т.</copyright-holder><ali:free_to_read xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/"/><license><ali:license_ref xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0</ali:license_ref></license></permissions><self-uri xlink:href="https://journals.rudn.ru/public-administration/article/view/45057">https://journals.rudn.ru/public-administration/article/view/45057</self-uri><abstract xml:lang="en"><p>The study engaged on the question of, how have colonial legacies shaped the contemporary local government system in Zimbabwe, and what implications do these historical influences have for urban development and governance in the country today? This question allowed for an exploration of the ways in which colonial policies and practices have influenced current governance structures, urban planning, and development challenges, providing a critical framework for analyzing the ongoing impacts of colonialism in Zimbabwe. The study was informed by qualitative and archival research methodologies. It also drew from post-colonial, dependency, inclusive urbanism, sustainable urban development, urban political ecology, globalization and urbanization, informal economy and urbanization livelihoods and decolonization of urban planning theories. The study found that the colonial past of Zimbabwe has indeed left a complex tapestry of enduring challenges, including spatial segregation, economic inequalities, and tensions within local urban governance systems.</p></abstract><trans-abstract xml:lang="ru"><p>Показано, каким образом колониальная политика и практика повлияли на современные структуры управления, городское планирование и проблемы развития, обеспечив важную основу для анализа продолжающихся последствий колониализма в Зимбабве. В основу исследования положены качественные методы и использование архивных материалов. Также были использованы следующие подходы и концепции: постколониальный, зависимое развитие, инклюзивный урбанизм, теории устойчивого городского развития, городская политическая экология, глобализация и урбанизация, неформальная экономика, а также теории деколонизации городского планирования. Отмечено, что колониальное прошлое Зимбабве действительно оставило после себя сложный след из постоянных проблем в местных системах городского управления, включая пространственную сегрегацию, экономическое неравенство и напряженность.</p></trans-abstract><kwd-group xml:lang="en"><kwd>colonialism</kwd><kwd>Africa</kwd><kwd>urban local government</kwd><kwd>politics</kwd></kwd-group><kwd-group xml:lang="ru"><kwd>колониализм</kwd><kwd>Африка</kwd><kwd>городские органы местное самоуправления</kwd><kwd>политика</kwd></kwd-group><funding-group/></article-meta></front><body></body><back><ref-list><ref id="B1"><label>1.</label><mixed-citation>Marumahoko S. Constitution-­making in Zimbabwe: Assessing institutions and processes. Doctoral dissertation. Faculty of Law, University of the Western Cape, South Africa; 2016.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B2"><label>2.</label><mixed-citation>Marumahoko S. Testing the boundaries of Zimbabwe’s fiscal decentralization for urban councils. 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