Abstract
This chapter comprehensively explores the detailed evaluations of coalition governments in the 30th year of South African democracy. Despite being a relatively recent concept in our political discussions, implementing coalition arrangements is frequently mishandled, posing a hurdle to efficient administration in local municipalities. The main contention of this chapter is that if coalition agreements in South Africa were motivated by a sincere aspiration for effective governance and the provision of services, they would have had positive outcomes for the general public.
TopIntroduction
In 1948, the National Party, led by Daniel Francois Malan, won the election on an apartheid platform. Apartheid was a conscious decision to deny black South Africans their rights and liberties. Apartheid was not an entirely new policy. Since the late 19th-century mineral discoveries, Africans have experienced a growing deprivation of their rights, along with the implementation of segregationist policies. The police were granted unrestricted authority. Detention without trial was implemented and became frequent. Individuals were detained without charges for both 90 and 180 days and frequently subjected to torture. South Africa's transition to democracy came about with the 1993 Interim Constitution, created through discussions between different political parties in the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA). This led to the country's inaugural non-racial election in 1994 (Waldmeir, 1998).
Booysen (2014) contends that South Africa's first decade of democracy, 1994-2004, delivered a high volume of governing and opposition alliances and coalitions in South Africa. These alliances and coalitions catalyzed the party system and facilitated the consolidation of the African National Congress (ANC) power. Simultaneously, alliances in this decade triggered the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), which continued to dominate opposition politics numerically through numerous elections. The second decade of democracy, 2004-2014, was characterized by continued ANC dominance, yet instead of the ANC's unremittingly usurping parties, it became subject to splits. Some of the split-offs emerged to become opposition parties. Others fused into alliances with the ANC or existing opposition parties (Mlambo, 2023). This article takes stock of the development during these two decades and looks ahead to budding new alliances that may thrive in lessened ANC dominance. According to Booysen (2014), in his article, which provides an overview of the developments during these two decades, South Africa experienced many governing and opposition alliances and coalitions during its first decade of democracy from 1994 to 2004. These alliances and coalitions played a crucial role in shaping the party system and strengthening the power of the ANC.
Drawing insights from Golding (2015), coalition government is conceptualized as a unique form of government where two or more political parties work collectively to form a governing body. This type of government arises when no party can secure a majority of the votes (50 percent or more) during an election. While many of the coalition governments at the local level in South Africa have failed and continue to witness many challenges, Ndou (2022) contends that coalition governments have now become part of South Africa's political system. However, these coalitions have resulted in instability, paralysis, and failures in service delivery in certain regions/municipalities of South Africa. This can be attributed to the nature of the political parties involved in these coalitions. For instance, political parties advocate for key positions during coalition arrangements in major metropolitan municipalities such as the City of Johannesburg and Tshwane, considered significant cities and economic hubs in South Africa. If consensus cannot be reached, they vote against each other. As a result, and according to Khumalo and Netswera (2020), mayors are often removed from office within a short period when coalition agreements are breached. In a country with more than 540 parties listed on the ballot paper, coalitions are likely to give rise to ideological differences.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Government of National Unity: A national unity government, also known as a government of national unity (GNU) or national union government, is a comprehensive coalition government comprising all political parties, or at least the major ones, in the legislative body. At its most fundamental level, a GNU refers to a coalition government that is specifically crafted to incorporate all political participants within the governmental framework ( Chinyere and Rukema, 2020 ).
African National Congress (ANC): The ANC is a political organization in South Africa. It emerged as a movement for freedom and equality, actively opposing apartheid. It has been in power since 1994, following the historic post-apartheid election that saw Nelson Mandela elected as the President of South Africa ( Lodge, 1987 ).
Democracy: Democracy is a system of governance that relies on the decisions made by the populace. In contemporary democracies, individuals are elected or appointed to represent the people and entrust legislative bodies, executives, commissions, judges, and juries. These delegations serve as the fundamental pillars of democracy ( Lupia and McCubbins, 1998 ).
Good Governance: According to Keping (2018) , good governance often refers to the process by which decisions are made within an organization. This includes ensuring transparency and accountability in the decision-making process, as well as making decisions that are in the best interest of the organization as a whole.
Service Delivery: The term “service delivery” is frequently employed in South Africa to provide essential resources that citizens rely on, such as water, electricity, sanitation infrastructure, land, and housing. ( Mlambo, 2019 ).
Coalition: A coalition is characterized as a collective of organizational actors who (1) mutually commit to achieving a shared objective, (2) collaborate in utilizing their resources to attain this objective, and (3) adopt a unified approach in its pursuit (DeGennaro and Mizrahi, 2005 AU64: The in-text citation "DeGennaro and Mizrahi, 2005" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ). Different coalitions can be formed when multiple political parties agree to collaborate and establish a ruling coalition government. These coalitions encompass a bare majority coalition government, a grand coalition, a government of national unity at the national level, and a minority government ( Beukes and De Visser, 2021 :7).