Parliament, Monday, 28 October 2024 – The Portfolio Committee on COGTA will tomorrow receive a briefing by the department on the draft Local Government: Municipal Coalitions Bill.
For the discussion, the committee will also draw on the South African Local Government Association’s (SALGA) Framework for coalitions in local government, perspectives on the impact of coalition governments and solutions.
From the first democratic local government elections in 2000 until the 2016 elections, elections have always produced some so-called “hung councils”, when no political party wins more than 50% of the seats in the municipal council, thus making the formation of a coalition or minority government inevitable. The number of hung councils has increased from 29 in 2000 to 81 after the 2021 local government elections.
In practice, coalition governments have often been unstable and terminated before the end of the council term. This highlighted the need for a regulatory framework to guide the formation and management of coalition councils in the local government sphere. Against this background, the department developed the Local Government: Municipal Coalitions Bill to address the instability in local government caused by coalition councils.
Details of the meeting are as follows:
Date: 29 October 2024
Time: 09:00 to 13:00
Venue: Room S35, NCOP Building, Parliament
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS, DR ZWELI MKHIZE.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact:
Name: Alicestine October (Ms)
Cell: 083 665 4345
E-mail: aoctober@parliament.gov.za
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