Hung councils send parties scrambling for coalition partners
Last week's municipal elections left the ANC as the biggest party in many councils but short of a majority in several, forcing parties into coalition talks.
Many South African municipalities now have no party with enough seats to govern alone, according to The Citizen. The ANC emerged as the biggest party in many councils, but in a number of them it does not have the support to run things by itself. Parties must now bargain to form multiparty administrations.
The Citizen noted that local coalitions are much harder to predict than the national unity government formed in 2024.
Why so many councils are hung
Political commentator Rebone Tau, of the Institute of Pan-African Thought and Conversation, linked the results to anger over poor municipal services. “Service delivery has not improved,” he said, adding that this is one reason so many councils are hung. He also said the results show voters feel free to choose independently.
In municipal politics, bigger parties have tended to court small parties rather than their main rivals, which lets them keep more influence inside a coalition. Johannesburg and Tshwane have followed this pattern for years, with the ANC and DA on opposite sides. The two cooperate nationally, but relations are far more strained in provincial and local government.
Shifts in the metros
- Buffalo City: The ANC’s long-standing dominance has been broken, and Bantu Holomisa’s UDM is now the official opposition. The ANC and UDM could look for common ground, possibly with the EFF.
- Mangaung and Nelson Mandela Bay: The DA has overtaken the ANC in both, and both municipalities face serious financial and governance problems.
- eThekwini: The MK party won the largest share of the vote.
The EFF’s Julius Malema has said his party will not back anyone who approaches the talks arrogantly, and will support partners willing to engage constructively. The ANC and DA often find common cause in resisting the EFF and MK.
KwaZulu-Natal is an exception. Its provincial government brings together the IFP, ANC, DA and NFP, an arrangement meant to keep MK out of power. A similar line-up could emerge in eThekwini. Jacob Zuma has said he is open to working with other black-led parties, which could shut out the DA, although poor relations between MK and the ANC may get in the way. Final proportional representation seat allocations could still change the numbers.
No new coalition law yet
A Coalition Bill has been stuck in Parliament for a long time and will not apply to these negotiations. It would require written coalition agreements and try to limit the repeated no-confidence motions that have destabilised councils.
Under the rules now in force, talks and the setting up of new administrations must be finished within 14 days. The Bill would stretch that to 30 days before the first council meeting.
Tau said no party can guarantee a stable coalition, because much depends on how individual politicians get along. He argued that national leaders should offer guidance without dictating outcomes, since local politicians understand their own areas.
What this means for residents
Residents in hung councils will have to wait for the talks to finish before knowing who runs their municipality. The 14-day limit means the deals should take shape fairly soon, though how long they will hold is uncertain.
This story is based on reporting by The Citizen.
