Coalition talk: Expert talks marriages of convenience and the role of smaller parties

• The 2024 general elections have seen a surprising outcome where the ruling party could lose their 30-year long majority
• This is now introducing coalition talks at a national level, something that South Africa has never experienced
• Briefly News spoke with an expert in governance to find out more about the role of smaller parties on the negotiation table

As election results drip in, it is becoming increasingly evident that South Africa is looking at a coalition government on a national level for the first time since the inception of democracy, 30 years ago. While the concept of coalitions is not new to the country, after municipalities were forced to explore this option after the 2021 local government elections, it is still a concept that has many clogs and needs some oiling.

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With the ruling party tracking to lose their majority, according to a CSIR poll, they will be looking for a party or two to help them attain 50%.

In these circumstances, smaller parties usually come to the fore. This was seen in the eThekwini municipality in 2021, where the ANC approached a block of smaller parties to rescue it after a poor election result.

Expert explains role of smaller parties

Briefly News spoke to Professor Zwelinzima Ndevu, the director of the School of Governance at Stellenbosch University, to expand more on smaller parties' role at the negotiation table.

“Coalition governments are a new phenomenon to us, we don't have a good experience as in SA they are characterized by instabilities, lack of common vision and they are mostly about politicians not the will of the voters.”

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He continued:

“The smaller parties want to be at the dinner table and have a say on leadership and distribution of resources that they predominantly drive by rather than being the voice of minority."

Democratic Alliance considers coalition with ANC

Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported that the Democratic Alliance did an about-turn and allegedly expressed the possibility of joining forces with its bitter rivals, the African National Congress. The DA's Federal Chair, Helen Zille, reportedly said that a coalition with the ruling party is not an impossibility. South Africans had mixed reactions: some believed the coalition would benefit the country, while others thought it was a bad idea.

Source: Briefly News