Delays to Coalition Bill Show Lack of Urgency on Local Government Crisis

South Africa’s Coalition Bill was introduced as a response to unstable hung councils, but it still has not become a practical tool for dealing with the crisis. The delay, the article argues, reflects a lack of urgency in addressing the country’s local government problems.

The issue gained prominence after the 2016 local elections, when the African National Congress lost its outright majority in four of South Africa’s eight metropolitan municipalities. Those councils had to operate through coalitions, bringing renewed attention to the absence of a coherent framework for forming and running coalition governments.

The Municipal Structures Amendment Bill, first introduced in 2024, seeks among other things to limit motions of no confidence against mayors, speakers and chief whips. Frequent political changes have affected major metros. The City of Johannesburg has had 10 mayoral changes since the 2016 local elections, while Nelson Mandela Bay and the City of Tshwane have each had six. The article links this turnover to administrative disruption, service-delivery backlogs and bottlenecks.

The stalled legislation is presented as part of a wider pattern of municipal neglect. Long-running disputes over the funding model for municipalities have produced few interventions, leaving many local authorities in severe financial difficulty and unable to provide basic services effectively. The article says instability in hung municipalities could continue beyond the 4 November elections.

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs wants the Bill passed before the vote, but the article describes that goal as impractical. The legislation still has to move through several stages before the president can sign it, while political parties are focused on election campaigns rather than scrutinising the Bill. Its complex amendments also require a rigorous public participation process, which could further delay enactment.