Editing Zimbabwe (section)

===Administrative divisions===
{{Main|Provinces of Zimbabwe|Districts of Zimbabwe|Wards of Zimbabwe}}
[[File:Administrative Divisions of Zimbabwe.svg|upright=1.35|thumb|right|[[Provinces of Zimbabwe|Administrative divisions of Zimbabwe]]]]
Zimbabwe has a [[Centralized government|centralised government]] and is divided into eight provinces and two cities with provincial status, for administrative purposes. Each province has a provincial capital from where government administration is usually carried out.<ref name="CIA-WF"/>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Province !! Capital
|-
| [[Bulawayo]] || [[Bulawayo]]
|-
| [[Harare]] || [[Harare]]
|-
| [[Manicaland]] || [[Mutare]]
|-
| [[Mashonaland Central]] || [[Bindura]]
|-
| [[Mashonaland East]] || [[Marondera]]
|-
| [[Mashonaland West]] || [[Chinhoyi]]
|-
| [[Masvingo Province|Masvingo]] || [[Masvingo|Masvingo city]]
|-
| [[Matabeleland North]] || [[Lupane District]]
|-
| [[Matabeleland South]] || [[Gwanda]]
|-
| [[Midlands Province|Midlands]] || [[Gweru]]
|}

The names of most of the provinces were generated from the Mashonaland and Matabeleland divide at the time of colonisation: Mashonaland was the territory occupied first by the British South Africa Company Pioneer Column and Matabeleland the territory conquered during the First Matabele War. This corresponds roughly to the precolonial territory of the Shona people and the Matabele people, although there are significant ethnic minorities in most provinces. Each province is headed by a provincial governor, appointed by the president.<ref name="constitution">{{cite web|url=http://www.parlzim.gov.zw/cms/UsefulResourses/ZimbabweConstitution.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221053703/http://www.parlzim.gov.zw/cms/UsefulResourses/ZimbabweConstitution.pdf|archive-date=21 December 2008|title=Constitution of the Republic of Zimbabwe|publisher=Parliament of Zimbabwe|access-date=19 December 2008}}</ref> The provincial government is run by a provincial administrator, appointed by the Public Service Commission. Other government functions at provincial level are carried out by provincial offices of national government departments.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parlzim.gov.zw/attachments/article/116/PROVINCIAL_COUNCILS_AND_ADMINISTRATION_ACT_29_11.pdf|title=Provincial Councils and Administration Act (Chapter 29:11)|publisher=Parliament of Zimbabwe|access-date=19 December 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227155122/http://www.parlzim.gov.zw/attachments/article/116/PROVINCIAL_COUNCILS_AND_ADMINISTRATION_ACT_29_11.pdf|archive-date=27 December 2013}}</ref>

The provinces are subdivided into 59 [[Districts of Zimbabwe|districts]] and 1,200 [[List of wards of Zimbabwe|wards]] (sometimes referred to as municipalities). Each district is headed by a district administrator, appointed by the Public Service Commission. There is also a Rural District Council, which appoints a chief executive officer. The Rural District Council is composed of elected ward councillors, the district administrator, and one representative of the chiefs (traditional leaders appointed under customary law) in the district. Other government functions at district level are carried out by district offices of national government departments.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parlzim.gov.zw/attachments/article/116/RURAL_DISTRICT_COUNCILS_ACT_29_13.pdf|title=Rural District Councils Act (Chapter 29:13)|publisher=Parliament of Zimbabwe|access-date=19 December 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227145728/http://www.parlzim.gov.zw/attachments/article/116/RURAL_DISTRICT_COUNCILS_ACT_29_13.pdf|archive-date=27 December 2013}}</ref>

At the ward level there is a Ward Development Committee, comprising the elected ward councillor, the kraalheads (traditional leaders subordinate to chiefs) and representatives of Village Development Committees. Wards are subdivided into villages, each of which has an elected Village Development Committee and a headman (traditional leader subordinate to the kraalhead).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parlzim.gov.zw/attachments/article/116/TRADITIONAL_LEADERS_ACT_29_17.pdf|title=Traditional Leaders Act (Chapter 29:17)|publisher=Parliament of Zimbabwe|access-date=19 December 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904033010/http://www.parlzim.gov.zw/attachments/article/116/TRADITIONAL_LEADERS_ACT_29_17.pdf|archive-date=4 September 2015}}</ref>