ANC wants coalitions bill passed before municipal elections

The African National Congress (ANC) wants the coalitions bill to be passed before the local government elections.

Formally known as the Municipal Structure Amendment Bill, it was introduced in 2024 and seeks to make coalition agreements legally binding and introduce other reforms aimed at stabilising local government.

The amendment bill was part of the deliberations during the second day of the ANC’s National Lekgotla, currently taking place at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg.

In the 2021 local government elections, there were 66 hung municipalities.

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These are municipalities where no political party got over 50% of the votes.

Research from several think tanks and polls estimates there will be more hung municipalities in the next local government elections.

Chairperson of the ANC’s sub-committee on local government, Dickson Masemola, said coalitions have become a reality in South African politics.

“At this point in time, where we are through COGTA [Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs], we have been able to produce a coalitions bill which is one of the urgent legislation that must be finalised this year, in particular for the next round of municipal administration.”

Masemola, who is also the COGTA Deputy Minister, said coalitions at the municipal level have largely been unstable, and it's important that there is legislation to guide how they work.