The Government of National Unity (GNU) in South Africa has not changed how political parties cooperate at the local government level, according to a report by the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (Mistra). The ANC and Democratic Alliance (DA) continue to compete for power at the local level, despite governing together nationally. The report warns that the country may face complicated coalition arrangements after the 4 November local government elections.
The Mistra report found that the ANC and DA have never formed part of the same municipal coalition, either before or after the formation of the GNU in June 2024. Across 175 municipal administrations tracked by Mistra, the ANC was a member of 90 administrations and the DA of 52, but there was not a single administration in which both parties were coalition partners. This indicates that the two parties have maintained their rivalry at the local level.
Former Electoral Commission of South Africa deputy chairperson Terry Tselane warned that South Africa cannot expect stable coalitions at the municipal level when the country's national coalition government lacks a clear common program. Tselane said coalition politics is no longer an exception, but an inevitable feature of South Africa's proportional representation system. He emphasized the need for a program of action before forming a coalition.
The report found 28 instances in which a municipal government containing either the ANC or DA was ended through a motion of no confidence and replaced by a government containing the other party. Although the rate of these ANC-DA substitutions declined after the GNU was formed, Mistra cautioned that this appeared to reflect a broader decline in motions of no confidence rather than a new relationship of cooperation between the two parties.
Between the 2021 local government elections and February 2026, 80 of South Africa's 213 directly elected municipal councils were hung at some point, meaning no single party held a majority. Those 80 municipalities went through 175 different administrations during the period studied. By February 2026, 74 municipalities were being governed through coalition or minority arrangements.
The report also found that coalitions which exclude the party with the most seats are particularly vulnerable. Administrations that excluded the plurality party collapsed at about four times the rate of those that included it. This finding highlights the risks of excluding the largest party from coalition arrangements.
The report's findings have significant implications for the upcoming local government elections. With an expanding number of parties and a history of unstable coalitions, South Africa may face even more complicated coalition arrangements in the future. The GNU's failure to change local coalition politics has raised concerns about the stability of municipal governments.
Key points
- The Government of National Unity has not changed local coalition politics in South Africa.
- The ANC and DA have never formed part of the same municipal coalition.
- Coalitions that exclude the party with the most seats are particularly vulnerable.
