Abstract
The decision to establish coalition governments in South Africa is one that lies firmly on political parties. Ultimately the electorate does not have a say in its formation. It is assumed that representative democracy finds expression in the formation of coalitions. The stability of the government will formally depend on the urges of the elected representatives of political parties in a legislative body. It is more likely to depend on political party leaders who, for various reasons, retain considerable control over the conduct of their elected representatives. Coalitions seem to be the solution when political parties in democracies do not win by outright margins and majority governments have to be constituted. Yet, the way in which political parties and politicians practice coalitions in South Africa means coalitions are, at best, a tense alternative. The South African Constitution of 1996 vests legislative and executive authority in the municipal council. As the highest decision-making body, the council must steer the municipality, determine its strategic direction, and take crucial decisions. In coalitions, this requires close cooperation between coalition partners to ensure that the responsibilities of the council are carried out effectively. This chapter argues that, however, in practice, coalition governments have often been unstable and terminated before the end of the council term. Instability in a local coalition can have a severe impact as it may compromise the municipality's ability to adopt policies and by-laws, make senior management appointments, or even adopt a budget. Ultimately, local communities will continue to bear the brunt of unstable coalition politics. The conclusion is that more stable coalitions will therefore contribute to improved service delivery.
TopIntroduction
In the evolving landscape of South African politics, coalition governments represent a defining feature of a contemporary governance system that characterise many local municipalities. The notion of coalition governance is in line with the practice of representative democracy – a political system in which the politicians are entitled to represent the electorates in all democratic processes (Bouton, 2013). Since 1994, the majority of South African citizens have been accustomed to one political party dominating the others. This has been a defining feature of the post-apartheid politics at the national, provincial and local government levels (Kinsel, 2009) in essence, coalitions are not a new phenomenon, particularly at a municipal level. It is supported by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996) which encourages the notion of freedom of association. Consequently, the South African citizens are entitled to floor crossing or establish new political parties which are in line with the country’s post 1994 political system (Dladla, 2019).
This chapter seeks to analyse coalition governance complexities across the South African municipalities and to examine its service delivery implications. As such the thematic areas that are covered in this chapter include, inter alia (i) evolution of coalition governance: from global to local experiences (ii) coalition governance and implication for public service delivery in South Africa (iii) legislative and policy framework for coalition governance; (iv) (iv) Challenges of coalition governance in South Africa, (v) research methodology and presentation of findings; and (vi) conclusion and recommendations.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Governance: the act or process of governing or overseeing the control and direction of something (such as a country or an organization). Is the action or manner of governing a state or organisation.
Constitution: Is a body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed.
Coalition: A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economic spaces.
Democracy: Government by the people, especially rule of the majority. Is a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.
Municipality: A city or town with its own local government, or this local government itself.
local government: Local government is the public administration of towns, cities, counties and districts. Local government includes both county and municipal government structures.
Service Delivery: Service delivery is a business idea and framework, the main goal of which is to provide services from a vendor to a customer. This includes the regular interactions between the two parties throughout the entire process of the business supplying the service and the client purchasing it.