Political analyst Professor Dirk Kotze says new guidelines for coalition negotiations could help improve stability in municipalities, but their lack of legal force means councils are not obliged to follow them.
The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs published the guidelines following the 2026 Local Government Elections, with around 137 municipalities expected to require coalition arrangements or other forms of cooperation.
Kotze says the guidelines would have been more useful if they had been released before the elections, allowing political parties to consider them during their campaigns and discussions.
He says the document provides guidance on existing legislation, coalition agreements and how municipalities should approach negotiations. However, it cannot be enforced.
“These guidelines are guidelines. They have no legal standing. They are not enforceable,” Kotze said.
He says South Africa’s Constitution and local government legislation were not originally designed to accommodate coalition governments, making it difficult to regulate the different arrangements across municipalities.
Kotze also raised concerns about the delay in finalising the proposed Coalition Bill, which he says could introduce binding agreements and help limit repeated motions of no confidence.
Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission says several processes must still be completed before newly elected municipal councillors can officially take office. These include allowing political parties to fill vacancies on their candidate lists and resolving cases where candidates have been nominated for more than one seat.
Once the final list of councillors is published, municipal managers must arrange the first council meetings within 14 days. The remaining 994 district council seats must also be filled through elections by local councillors.
Kotze cautioned against viewing all coalitions as unstable, saying many municipalities have managed coalition arrangements without major disruptions. He believes the new guidelines could contribute to greater stability if councils apply them consistently and in good faith, with service delivery remaining the priority.
Photo: VOCfm
