South African TourismThe City of Tshwane, home to South Africa’s government and foreign diplomats, has been rocked by political turmoil for nearly a year. The squabbling between political parties has meant that the city council is “unable to conduct its business and cannot serve its residents”. This was according to a judge when the city’s problems ended up in the High Court. The city has been run by a coalition of minority parties cobbled together by the Democratic Alliance (DA), the main …
The Conversation
Local council turmoil shows South Africa isn’t very good at coalitions
Leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters Julius Malema (C) addresses the media after local elections in 2016. EPA/Kim LudbrookSouth Africa entered the world of coalition politics in earnest three years ago. In the local election in 2016 three major cities found themselves without a majority party in charge. This forced the formation of coalition governments in Johannesburg, the country’s economic capital; Tshwane, the capital city; and Nelson Mandela Bay, a port city in the southeast of the …
What’s needed to fix collapsing coalitions in South Africa’s cities
Johannesburg: one of three South African cities in which coalitions have collapsed. EPA/Jon HrusaThree South African cities run by opposition party coalitions for the past three years have been facing tough times. In Johannesburg, a new mayor has been elected following the resignation of Herman Mashaba from both the city and the Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s main political opposition. The mayoral election saw a shift of political alliances in the council. Smaller parties sided with the …
Frank review of South African foreign policy over 25 years
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. GCISIn an important new book, South Africa’s foreign policy performance over its first quarter-century democratic governance is put under the spotlight. Professor Eddy Maloka, CEO of the African Peer Review Mechanism, surveys South Africa’s performance in an incisive, accessible, credible account of how and why the country has acted in regional and global affairs. Professor Maloka, an historian by training, is both a scholar and a practitioner of South …
South Africa’s main opposition party shows signs of serious strain
Helen Zille's election as head of the Democratic Alliance's federal council has rattled many. EFE-EPA/Nic BothmaSouth Africa’s main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, elected a new chairperson of its federal council this past weekend. Its choice – Helen Zille, former leader of the party, and former Premier of the Western Cape province – has sent shock waves through the party. The immediate fallout from her reelection to the top DA post was the resignation of Herman Mashaba, the …
South Africa’s Democratic Alliance at 60: big strategic questions lie ahead
The Democratic Alliance has transformed itself from an overwhelmingly white party to a majority black party. EFE-EPA/Kim LudbrookAt the one extreme, South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), celebrates every possible historic anniversary of its life and struggles. At the opposite extreme, the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) has so far not said one word that 2019 marks its diamond jubilee – its 60th anniversary. The DA was founded in 1959 by 12 MPS as a …
South Africa’s poll is more about battles in the ANC than between political parties
Former president of South Africa Jacob Zuma and current president Cyril Ramaphosa are supported by different factions. EPA-EFE/StringerSouth Africans are about to vote in the most competitive election they’ve had since democracy began in 1994. But, despite this, the poll will have far more impact on the factional battle within the governing African National Congress (ANC) than on the contest between it and other parties for control of government. The election follows a decline in the ANC vote …
Electoral systems need urgent reform. South Africa is no exception
South Africans go to the polls on 8 May, 2019. EPA/Nic BothmaThe long running political soap opera unfolding in Westminster over a decision taken two years ago in a referendum to leave the European Union has been the top running news story for months on end. The UK finds itself at an impasse, with members of parliament unable to decide how to proceed. The crisis has raised fundamental questions about the country’s democracy. The biggest is whether the two-party system is now dead on its feet. …
South Africa is learning the ropes of coalition politics — and its inherent instability
Solly Msimanga, centre, the mayor of Tshwane, with Democratic Alliance national leader, Mmusi Maimane, right, celebrate winning the city in 2016. EPA/Kim LudbrookSouth Africa’s politics has entered largely uncharted terrain. Following the municipal elections in 2016 several political parties swiftly coalesced to elect Democratic Alliance (DA) mayors in three hung metropolitan councils that had emerged as a result. It appeared that there was a firm intention on behalf of these former opposition …
South Africa needs to revamp its new public transport system
KIM LUDBROOK/EAPOver the past eight years the South African government has spent more than 130 billion rand on public transport projects in the country’s main cities. The projects included the refurbishment of rail services and the establishment of a new rapid rail and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems. This is a lot of money by any standards. As a percentage of gross geographic product, South African cities devote about twice as much money to transport as other developing countries, and as much …