There are unofficial reports doing the rounds on both social and electronic media about the potential grand coalition between the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Eastern Cape province. The ANC and the DA in the metropolitan municipality command the largest number of seats in the council, both sitting at 48 and 41, respectively. Forging a coalition alliance of both political parties could benefit the metro in a significant way; it would bring both political and administrative stability to the metro. NMB metropolitan municipality is one of the metros in the country that, since 2016 to date, has been under coalition government, and the metro has gone through coalition turbulence with frequent changes in the executive; to some extent, this has affected service delivery. It is believed that the ANC, as the largest party in council, will get the position of mayor. In line with their proposed legislation around coalitions in South Africa, a party with the majority of votes should be allowed to lead a coalition. The DA is in agreement with the proposed legislation by the ANC. A grand coalition will mean that small political parties in council will be relegated to opposition, and this will reduce political bickering in council and bring stability.
- https://ancjoburg.org.za/anc-constitution/
- https://www.behance.net/gallery/9111297/DA-%28Democratic-Alliance%29-Brand-Refresh
Author: Boikanyo Nkwatle
