Rise Mzansi says coalitions ultimately a political exercise

Rise Mzansi says the coalition guidelines released by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa will bring structure and accountability to municipal councils where no political party secured an outright majority.

About 138 metropolitan and local municipalities, representing approximately 65% of councils, did not produce an outright majority for a single political party.

On Wednesday, Hlabisa released the guidelines aimed at assisting municipalities in managing coalition governance, strengthening institutional stability and ensuring that political transitions do not disrupt service delivery.

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has issued guidelines to help municipalities manage coalition governance, strengthen institutional stability, and ensure that political transitions do not disrupt service delivery to communities.

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Rise Mzansi spokesperson Mabine Seabe says while the party welcomes the guidelines, coalition talks remain fundamentally a political exercise.

“We must be clear. It’s a political exercise. No set of guidelines can legislate political maturity or manufacture good faith. When we treat governance as a zero-sum battle for patronage or positions, paperwork alone won’t save a council from collapse.”

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