Both the DA and ANC have suggested legislation is necessary to manage unstable coalitions and ensure coalition governments deliver services to the people.
SA has 81 coalition municipalities or metros with many, like Johannesburg, beset with infighting, frequent leadership changes and a lack of service delivery.
The presidency organised political parties and civil society organisations came together at the National Dialogues on Coalition Governments in Cape Town on Friday to draw up a framework for coalition governments that may later become legislation.
In his opening address as the premier of Western Cape, Alan Winde said the dialogues reminded him of Codesa, the 1990 negotiations for a democratic SA and called for urgency in delivering services to citizens.
At the event, political parties gave input on what was needed for stable coalition governments.
The DA said parties needed a minimum threshold of 1% of vote before getting seats in local or provincial government.
Secretary-general of the ANC Fikile Mbalula said “instability and dysfunctionality and lack of service delivery had many citizens worried about their future under coalition governments”.
He said legislation was needed to better manage them. Mbalula also said there needed to be curbs on the abuse of motions of no confidence filed by rivals parties seeking to dislodge mayors or positions of power.
The ANC, said Mbalula, believed the party with the largest percentage of the vote should lead when a coalition was formed in a municipality. He added that executive or leadership positions should be allocated in proportion to the votes parties received.
This would mean a party with a tiny number of votes would not get a mayoral seat in Johannesburg, for example, where the former and current mayors are members of the Al Jama-ah party, which received only about 1% of the votes in the previous municipal elections.
They were put there by an ANC and EFF alliance after the ANC, with only 91 seats of a 270-seat council, failed to achieved a firm majority in the previous elections.
“The government should refer to the will of the people, not deal-making in parties,” said Mbalula.
Where no party has no clear majority, an executive committee system should be introduced, he said.
The ANC believed an independent dispute resolution mechanism was required to help coalition governments resolve conflict, Mbalula said.
The DA’s chief whip, Siviwe Gwarube, said coalition governments were “marked by political instability, poor service delivery and a lack of accountability”.
She too, like the ANC said regulation around coalitions would result in better stability and service delivery.
Both DA and the FF plus want to limit motions of no confidence to one per 12-month period. Gwarube said this cap on motions of no confidence would give mayors at least 12 months to govern.
There could be a safety net allowing for addition motions of no confidence if law breaking had taken place, she said.
Most controversial, the DA suggested a threshold that political parties must get at least 1% of vote before members get seats in local governments, municipalities to legislatures.
But smaller parties including ATM, Good, the ACDP, Al Jama-ah and the Freedom Front Plus have opposed any minimum threshold for election of politicians into positions, saying this goes against the will of the electorate and the constitution.
A minimum threshold percentage of the vote was not unconstitutional suggested Gwarube saying the constitution only requires “in general, proportional representation”.
She said larger parties make more reliable coalition partners. In a similar view to the ANC, the DA called for independent dispute panel. Gwarube said a political ombudsman would help with maintaining coalition agreements and resolving disputes
Leader of the FF Plus Pieter Groenewald said secret ballots should not be allowed when there was an election of officials and motions of no confidence.
The EFF did not arrive to speak in its 10-minute slot and appears not to be supporting the event.
President Cyril Ramaphosa was set to deliver the keynote address, but did not attend.
The dialogues are being led by businessperson Bobby Godsell, and former public protector Thuli Madonsela and will continue until Saturday afternoon. Deputy President Paul Mashatile gave the opening address.
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