By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Thembi Nkadimeng says government is developing a framework, including amendments to the Municipal Structures Act, in an effort to address challenges posed by coalition governments in hung municipalities.
Nkadimeng was speaking at the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department’s Budget Vote, saying that the country has around 70 hung municipalities following the 2021 local government elections.
These municipalities have been subject to various unstable coalitions which has resulted in ineffective service delivery.
The minister said that the “regressive phenomenon of instability” has also crept into the biggest metros, where the impact has been particularly hard.Metros, she said, should generally be case studies for stable coalition governments, but this has not been the case.
She said that when municipalities cannot pass budgets, they indirectly deny communities access to basic services.
Nkadimeng added that the changes in executives due to ever-changing coalition dynamics had been underlined by the failure of parties to deal with the demands and dilemmas of coalition politics.
She said government will speak to various stakeholders, including the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), political parties, communities and provincial departments, to address the issues facing coalitions.
She added that the department is currently working on a coalition framework and draft bill to amend the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998.
The most significant change proposed is regarding motions of no-confidence, which will only be permitted two years after the council is elected.
Nkadimeng also said her department was finalising the Code of Conduct for Councillors’ Regulations, which aims to address issues around walk-outs during council meetings.
While the matter around walk-outs is not unique to councils in coalition arrangements, this intervention will assist in ensuring meetings proceed and council operations are not stalled.
Coupled with that intervention, the department will continue to support municipalities in terms of section 154 of the Constitution,” she said.