Instability characterised the early stages of coalition government in local government, particularly in three metros after the most recent municipal elections in 2021.
Remember the time that the Cities of Joburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane were marred by the chopping and changing of leadership as a result of power struggles between the parties who could not find each other as coalition partners?
History has a way of repeating itself. Don’t expect the potential coalition government that runs the country to have smooth sailing. Ideologies will clash, leading to severe cracks that might result in the collapse of whatever partnerships are entered into.
Some might argue that the country is in a much better position than it was at the beginning of local government coalitions in 2021. This is not to say they are properly functioning in metros. Only residents of the metros can make that finding. However, it’s worth observing that they seem to have stabilised politically compared to where they were post the 2021 elections.
The national government sphere is much more complex than local government. But what has worked at the local level may serve as a strong foundation to solidify what is to emerge at the national level. The country waits with bated breath to hear who will collectively govern the country. That the outcomes of the coalition talks might also determine the future of hung metros is a given.
This suggests the ANC, as the party with the most votes, will have to tread carefully in choosing who it governs with. A coalition with the EFF and Patriotic Alliance might seem the obvious choice in the eyes of those leading the partnerships in the three hung metros.
However, nothing the ANC does is obvious, as the country has come to know. It has voted in favour of a DA-sponsored motion to remove then-public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane in the National Assembly.
The two parties then joined hands to ensure the impeachment of Judges John Hlophe and Nkola Motata.
The decision on coalition partners might just boil down to which faction has enough influence. Whatever the decision, the interests of the country, not individuals, must rise above everything else.
Cape Times