The purpose of this study was to explore various public participatory stakeholders in the management of the City of Harare’s informal sector as well as to assess the role of stakeholders in the governance of this sector within the context of political polarisation. In doing so, the study employed a mixed method approach which included a questionnaire survey (N=195), in-depth interviews (N=12) and documentary analysis. Main observations suggested that public participation was far from being achieved due to a multiplicity of factors. Furthermore, despite the introduction of a progressive constitution and the existence of various participatory mechanisms, various challenges continue to inhibit public participation in Harare. These include lack of funding, continued central government intervention, re-centralisation of governance due to loss of political power by the ruling party, political polarisation, resistance by administrators to co-opt the public into decision-making processes and failure to adapt to change. In addition, despite commendable efforts by various stakeholders to engender stakeholder participation, there was a distinct absence of the development and implementation of effective stakeholder involvement strategies in flea market governance. The analysis also showed that the role of the Council especially that of councillors, has been diminishing over the years and conversely, City administrative officials have become more powerful beyond their line of duty. To make matters worse, currently, there are no specific legislative provisions that provide for community participation. The findings will be of interest to local government officials and scholars alike as they have a number of practical implications. There is a need to put in place a robust legislative framework that promotes citizenry involvement and that de-links party politics from development and governance of local authorities. A key policy priority should, therefore, be to inculcate a culture of inclusivity, tolerance and de-centralisation of power and governance.

Cities in emerging economies, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, are beginning to leverage the power of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by incorporating e-participation as the key mechanism of public participation. However, there seems to be an overwhelming consensus among scholars on its lack of effectiveness. This chapter contributes to the growing body of literature on e-participation as an alternative governance mechanism and as an innovative technology for African cities in transition by providing insights into its application or lack thereof in politically polarised cities such as the City of Harare. In doing so, the chapter draws strongly on a case study of the City of Harare in Zimbabwe and on data gleaned through surveys and documentary analysis. The data for this chapter emerged from a broader project that used interviews with purposefully selected informal traders and their customer participants (N = 195) randomly chosen for the surveys. The chapter argues that the effects of political and debilitating economic challenges, which have resulted in skyrocketing prices and diminishing disposable incomes, have been to limit citizen's resources for data which could enable them to be actively involved in various ICT platforms for e-participation. This, together with frequent power outages, is a huge barrier to the application of alternative governance and innovative technologies for African cities in transition. This study not only highlights the importance of e-participation but underscores the need to understand the heterogeneity of the context of its application.