Opinion | The impact of coalition governments on governance in South Africa

Dave Bryant

The recent mayhem surrounding the tabling of the national budget regarding the VAT increase, and then reversal of that increase, for the upcoming financial year has once again laid bare the compromises and chaos that coalition governments can bring. While the outcome could be celebrated as a victory for justice and the people, the pathway to get there was paved with confusion, uncertainty, and instability, affecting businesses and individuals and leaving pertinent questions within the public sector.

This latest episode reflects the dysfunction we often see at local government level, where we have seen some municipalities cycle through as many as seven mayors in just three years. Such volatility at leadership level rattles confidence, stalls service delivery, derails strategic planning, and halts performance.

Coalition government

Since 2016, "coalition government" has become a household term in South Africa, and the 2021 Local Government Elections intensified this trend, with a record 70 hung councils. But South Africa’s government has long struggled with perceptions of poor governance, weak leadership, and administrative inefficiency. In this context, the increase of hung councils deepens public skepticism and raises an urgent question - How much confidence can citizens retain in a system marked by indecision and instability?

The public sector mandated to serve the public good continues to be plagued by stories of corruption, maladministration, and dismal service delivery. While numerous scholars and oversight bodies have studied the effects of hung councils on municipal performance, the lived experience of citizens speaks volumes. The City of Johannesburg saw its ninth executive mayor since 2016, and by the end of 2024, Tshwane had rotated through six executive mayors since 2016. These frequent changes have severely undermined each city's ability to implement long-term strategies, manage resources effectively, or build institutional trust.

Basic services 

Johannesburg is still grappling with the delivery of basic services; electricity, water, road maintenance, and waste management, while Tshwane faces a prolonged and precarious financial crisis. Leadership changes alone cannot fix these deep-rooted issues, but without consistency, strategic planning becomes impossible, and any hope for sustainable progress fades.

Nelson Mandela Bay is another unfortunate tale. Since 2016, it has experienced repeated leadership changes driven by unstable coalition arrangements, each bringing political infighting and governance paralysis. The city has become synonymous with poor service delivery, persistent water shortages, deteriorating infrastructure, and weak financial management. This instability has left the metro vulnerable and too fragmented to offer coherent planning or decisive action which harms residents the most.

Western Cape

There are, however, brighter spots. The Western Cape continues to outperform the rest of the country, with municipalities in the province scoring an impressive 4.11 out of 5 on the 2024 Government Performance Index (GPI). In stark contrast, the North West lagged at 2.59, the lowest in the country. For residents in high-performing municipalities, this offers some hope but for those stuck in jurisdictions plagued by dysfunction, these statistics mean little.

The GPI measures various aspects of municipal performance, including audit outcomes which is a key indicator of good governance. While some may argue that clean audits do not directly improve service delivery, there is a strong correlation between positive audit outcomes, stable councils, and better public services. Interestingly, the few Western Cape municipalities that have experimented with coalition governments over the past five years are also the ones now considered "at risk".

Strong leadership

However, citizens do not choose coalition governments and nor are its effects only determinantal. The solution lies in prioritising stability, consistency, and strong leadership. Without these, no turnaround strategy can survive. South Africa’s municipalities need governance structures that allow them to implement policies beyond election cycles, instead of the power games that tend to dominate governance.

The Western Cape offers a model of what is possible. But for millions of South Africans trapped in municipalities battling under dysfunction, even this success feels out of reach. Until we reckon honestly with the structural flaws in our political framework and commit to fixing them the greater promise of democracy will continue to be undermined by instability.

Is there hope? Yes, but only if we demand accountability, reward performance, and rethink the choices that currently reward chaos over competence.

*Dave Bryant is DA spokesperson and Chairperson on the Standing Committee on Local Government at the Western Cape Provincial Parliament.