What shapes coalition politics

TURMOIL: PARTY INTERESTS SEEM TO OVERRIDE GOVERNANCE FOR GOOD OF THE PEOPLE

Showdowns in the three metropoles show lack of political maturity.

South Africa entered the world of coalition politics in earnest three years ago. In the local election in 2016, three major cities found themselves without a majority party in charge. This forced the formation of coalition governments in Johannesburg, Tshwane, and Nelson Mandela Bay.

Over the past month all three have fallen apart spectacularly. The ANC took back Johannesburg, the United Democratic Movement’s Mongameli Bobani was unceremoniously booted out as executive mayor in Nelson Mandela Bay and Stevens Mokgalapa was deposed as mayor of Tshwane following an alleged sex scandal, corruption allegations and a water crisis.

In Johannesburg, the resignation of Herman Mashaba as executive mayor, in protest at the return of Helen Zille as leader of the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) federal council, opened the space for the ANC to take the reins of power in the city.

In Tshwane, a cloud of controversy over the DA’s Mokgalapa created an opening for the ANC and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to push for his removal as mayor. Through this move, the two parties demonstrated their control over council decisions.

In Nelson Mandela Bay, Bobani created a governance crisis. He took far too long to manage the impact of a severe drought. And he was embroiled in fighting allegations of corruption. His tenure created a political problem for the ANC, which had helped get him into power. The party could no longer turn a blind eye to allegations of corruption against him.

Coalitions are notoriously difficult. Governing by coalition requires individuals, and the parties they represent, to cooperate and compromise. It requires developing a set of informal rules that enable the day-to-day business of governing to take hold.

A key element for a successful coalition government is the rationale for working together in the first place. Was it merely to get the governing party out? Are parties working together with the aim of bringing administrative and political stability? What did political parties bargain for when the coalitions were formed?

Looking at coalition dynamics in South Africa, it is clear that the rationale for working together was to get the ANC out of power in local councils. The aim of the coalition governments was not necessarily to create administrative and political stability.

This is problematic because it undermines the principles needed to make coalitions work: cooperation, compromise and managing diverse policy agendas. Smaller parties are the kingmakers in coalitions because they hold the reins of power in councils. They can hold councils hostage by using their vote to support or undermine the coalition government. This dynamic has played out in Nelson Mandela Bay. The Patriotic Alliance, a small political party that ran on a ticket of representing South Africa’s marginalised and poor, flexed its political muscle by pulling out of a coalition with the DA when it did not get the deputy mayorship.

Similarly, after Athol Trollip was ousted as executive mayor in Nelson Mandela Bay, the Patriotic Alliance pulled out of the legal bid to challenge council’s decision that removed him from the post.

And having gained no significant political benefit under a DA coalition, the Patriotic Alliance used its position to negotiate the deputy

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