SALGA: ‘Coalitions must be regulated to prevent instability'

Bongani Bingwa speaks to Lance Joel, Chief Operating Officer at the South African Local Government Association (SALGA).

Listen to the interview in the audio below.

We cannot head into the national elections without taking a moment to reflect on the state of our municipalities.

It seems likely that in the general election we will see a rise in coalition governments, which could be a cause for concern if our municipalities are anything to go by.

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Across the country municipalities have been battling with poor service delivery and unstable governments.

Joel says that of 82 coalition governed municipalities, 32 are largely unstable.

He says the main reasons for this instability is that there are not clear and transparent agreements between coalition partners.

“Coalition agreements are marred with secrecy, and we know it is more about sharing the spoils than delivering on the promises made in the political manifestos.”

- Lance Joel, SALGA Chief Operating Officer

He adds that in order to prevent instability at a national level, we need to ensure that coalitions are regulated.

“Coalition governments are not regulated. People make up the rules as they go along.”

­- Lance Joel, SALGA Chief Operating Officer