The FW de Klerk Foundation Comments on Coalition Bill, Urges Public to Participate

22 August 2024

The FW de Klerk Foundation welcomes the Local Government: Municipal Structures Amendment Bill 2024 (the “Coalition Bill”) by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (“COGTA”).

“The Foundation has long held the position that formalising coalition agreements between political parties is crucial for ensuring stable and effective administration. While the Foundation does not agree with all of COGTA’s proposed solutions, it views the Bill as the first step in the right direction to address the problem of shaky municipal coalitions,” says Daniela Ellerbeck, an attorney and the FW de Klerk Foundation’s Constitutional Programmes Manager.

Specifically, the Foundation proposed alternatives solutions to address the problem of a “revolving door of executive mayors” in hung municipalities: “The Bill’s proposal will effectively enforce a ‘mandatory coalition’ in hung municipalities, resulting in those who obstruct the exercise of executive authority they do not agree with, being on the executive committee,” states Ellerbeck. “The Foundation believes this will only cause greater instability in the governance of those municipalities, not lessen it. Rather, the Foundation proposed that stability could be achieved by tightening the law surrounding the way and/or circumstances under which an executive mayor and/or deputy executive mayor may be removed from office,” expands Ellerbeck.

The Coalition Bill is open for comment until 31 August 2024. The Foundation urges the public to participate and comment on the Bill.

Issued by FW de Klerk Foundation, 22 August 2024