South Africa is not ready for coalition politics: Analyst

Political analyst Bheki Mngomezulu says the country is not yet ready for coalition politics, saying many coalitions have led to the disruption of the delivery of basic services.

The newly-elected Johannesburg mayor Thapelo Amad, who himself is a product of a coalition, will be sworn in on Monday. He became mayor on Friday with the assistance of the African National Congress (ANC), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and other minority parties that voted together in the council.

Mngomezulu says, “Coalitions are unstable. At the moment, I don’t think that we are ready for coalition politics, more especially if we talk about post-election coalitions. Where coalitions have remained a bit longer, countries like Australia, India, Germany because before you go to an election, you already know what you are going to do in a coalition government. And normally, they do what they call grand alliances in which two bigger parties will come together.

Amad’s mayorship comes after the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Mpho Phalatse was removed in a motion of no confidence.

Mngomezulu says coalition arrangements remain a problem in South Africa.

The politics of coalition governments