Deputy President Paul Mashatile says the constant collapse of coalitions in municipalities across the country should stop. Mashatile was addressing the National Dialogue on Coalitions at the University of Western Cape today.

FREQUENT COLLAPSE 

He said power play between politicians is affecting stability in municipalities. Mashatile said the coalitions should be in the national interest to serve the needs of the people. "Frequent collapse of coalitions at the local government level is deliberate, sometimes even unrelated to the pursuit of the public good, and can be minimised down to a healthy level, with a little detrimental effect on municipal administration," he said. "Our pursuit of national consensus on how to approach coalition governments is a matter of national interest. Properly handled, it has the potential to bring the necessary stability, especially to the local government sphere, despite the intemperance we have witnessed in relation to coalitions," he said.

EXPRESSION OF VOTERS

The Deputy President said coalitions are the expression of the voters that should be respected. "Coalitions are an unmistakable expression of choices that the electorate has made. It is democracy at work!" It also identifies problems and challenges in the local sphere of government, amongst them," he said. "Lack of skills, inadequate revenue, indifference from both administrators and politicians and the substitution of the public good with self-interest." With the 2024 National General Election around the corner, there is a sign that the country may be led under coalitions. This is possible as governing party African National Congress (ANC) constant decline continues. In the last national elections, ANC declined to 57%, and if it drops below 50% the country will be forced into coalitions.

SA SHOULD LEARN FROM OTHER COUNTRIES 

The Deputy President said South Africa must learn from other countries which are in coalitions. "We must be ready and willing to learn from the coalition experiences of other countries, we must also bear in mind South Africa’s unique sociological and political characteristics. Our history of a unique colonialism that is unlike any other and the enduring legacy of that special colonialism has a direct impact on our politics today and will undoubtedly be the case for a long time to come," he said. At a local government level, all the metropolitans in Gauteng the City of Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, and the City of Johannesburg including a few local municipalities. After the 2021 municipal elections, the ANC lost control of municipalities in Gauteng.