Power politics plague coalition governments

COALITION governments are invariably unstable and lead to gridlocks. The mayor of Mogale City Michael Holenstein was removed by a motion of no confidence with 39 against 38 votes.

It means one or two of the EFF or DA councillors were bought off or the EFF is no longer happy with the DA mayor. This was the second DA mayor in less than a year.

By the way, some of these EFF and DA councillors are disgruntled former ANC members who left the ANC because they were overlooked for positions in the ANC.

There is also a possibility that IFP or Freedom Front Plus councillors could have been bought off. However, suspicions should be focused on EFF and DA councillors, especially those who were ANC members prior to joining the EFF and DA and still harbour sentimental attachment towards their former political party.

It is a big political gamble for all the parties, especially the ANC, and to a lesser extent the EFF and DA, if fresh elections could be called because of the gridlock at Mogale City municipality.

Prospects of a political comeback for the ANC don’t look good and can therefore not be guaranteed because of the scandals that have rocked the party.

And once a former ruling political party loses elections because of perceived corruption, it is difficult to stage a comeback.

Moreover, former Botswana leader of the opposition, Dr Kenneth Koma’s PhD thesis in Moscow in the 1960s revealed that political parties in Africa lost support and power after 20 years. And the ANC has been in power for more than 20 years now. A typical example is Frederick Chiluba’s Movement for Multiparty Democracy government in Zambia which was in power from 1991 until 2012. It took over from the United Independence Party of Kenneth Kaunda which was in power for 27 years.

There are governments which rig elections or are propped up by western governments and are difficult to unseat.

The EFF is in a precarious position and holds a double-edged sword. Some people accuse it of getting into bed with the devil while others are of the view that it pulled a smart political move by entering into a coalition with the DA.

With the loss of the mayoralty by its coalition partner the DA in Mogale City, it faces prospects of its councillors facing criticism for having been bought off to vote with the corrupt ANC.

The DA is perceived as a party that safeguards white interests and privileges. Moreover, Helen Zille’s not-all-aspects-of-colonialism-werebad tweet is not making the DA smell like roses, especially among African voters. However, in the white, coloured and Indian suburbs, the DA is guaranteed a bigger share of the vote if the current racialist block voting patterns are anything to go by.

Africans seem not to be politically conscious because they seem not to be aware of the existence of the PAC and what it stands for.

They should give it a chance if proper political education can be carried out by the partisan Independent Electural Commission. The stakes are high in the envisaged elections in Mogale City and in the 2019 general elections. Kagiso, Mogale City

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