Prof. Jaap de Visser, a professor of Law at the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) Faculty of Law, argues that coalition governments are a natural consequence of our South African electoral system and that we as countrymen must get used to this reality. Nelson Mandela led the first coalition government in South Africa, called the government of national unity, in 1994.
That coalition did not last beyond two years, with the National Party (NP) pulling out in 1996 because the ANC would not agree to extend the coalition beyond 1999 – and a failure between the two parties to reach consensus on key economic choices and policies.
So, since 1996 the ANC has the sole mandate to ensure economic justice for South Africa and its residents..
If we think coalition government is the answer to the difficulties the country is continually faced with, we are making a big mistake.
Such a government may even be more complex given the different egos holding the reins, demanding to be fed.
Rather, a citizen coalition (social solidarity) is needed, where citizens lead, and their government has no choice but to follow, unless they risk the danger of being removed or replaced.
Unless we make that transition in our heads, we will forever be at the mercy of politicians trapped in a system that rewards only them. We cannot talk of a coalition government if we exclude citizen coalition – where we put our purpose together.
Affluent, well-resourced schools will continue to flourish unless we collaborate and share wealth. Such a citizen coalition is built on principles or leadership behaviours that are based on no rent-seeking, pursuits of economic inclusion, a fight for equal access to health care (dignity), equal access to education (a means to an end), and accountability systems.
The October 2022 report from Good Governance Africa (GGA), an independent, registered non-profit organisation (NPO) – with offices in South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana – with the aim of promoting better governance in Africa to improve the lives of all citizens, suggests that excellence in municipal performance to a lesser extent is the consequence of which political party is in charge and more linked with governance, population, and provincial dynamics.
The study also showed that there is a greater chance of success when you have ethical and competent leadership steering the ship to ensure that municipalities are properly governed in terms of administration, planning and monitoring, and service delivery.
In October last year, I was invited by the municipal council of the Theewaterskloof Local Municipality in the Western Cape to facilitate a three-day strategic conversation using my Governance 5iQ model as a point of departure.
This model asks five questions: Why do we do what we do (vision)? How is it being done (mission)? How will we know at any given time we are on track (monitoring and evaluation)? If we are not on track, what are we doing about it (consequence management)? And finally, how we lead and learn (knowledge management).
I believe the Governance 5iQ could be applied in conversation around the viability of a citizen coalition. The cornerstone of this coalition governance is a partnership between civil society, the private sector, government, and academia – where we co-create a desired future – and this must be youth-led.
It can be done; we owe it to the youth who rightfully question the motives of those who are trying to fix problems they themselves created over the past three decades.
Cloete is a research fellow at the University of the Free State (UFS).
