Investigating the Dynamics of Coalition Governance in South African Local Government

Abstract

The dynamics of coalitions in South Africa's democratic landscape can be attributed to the ANC government's shortcomings or failure in providing services to communities and its pervasive issues of corruption. The chapter argues that enhancing governance, service delivery, and fostering unity in South Africa requires a political centre, consistent policy agenda, and capable politicians. This is essential to fulfil the service delivery mandate, and it also suggests the need for a legislative framework to regulate coalition governments, considering their inevitability in the current political climate of South Africa. The current South African political climate of coalitions is clouded by political immaturity which is a receipt for poor service delivery. An analysis of several motions of confidence passed in coalition governance in many municipalities across the country shows that coalition governance in the contemporary South African political climate is characterized by instability, political egos, no commonality of interest, and political patronage which are ingredients of poor service delivery, particularly as the next 2024 national and provincial elections draw near. Coalition governments typically include parties with varied ideological orientations and policy preferences. The task of reconciling these differences to establish a unified policy agenda can pose significant conundrums and delays in service delivery. What ordinary people need on the ground is very simple, which is just the provision of basic services not political ideologies. However, different policy agendas from political parties haunt the delivery of basic services to the constituencies. This chapter sees it as imperative to demonstrate contextual and institutional effects that supplement emergent discoveries in the literature of coalition governance. Thus, it adopts a literature-based approach, which is conceptual, to assess the dynamics of coalition governance in South African local government, looking at policy implementation, political stability, and service delivery inter alia.