Dysfunctional coalitions should serve as an eye opener: Ndou

Political analyst, Levy Ndou says the instability caused by broken coalitions in some metros should serve as an eye-opener to avoid dysfunctional alliances ahead of the 2024 general elections. Ndou’s remarks followed the latest resignation of Joburg mayor Thapelo Amad on Monday evening.

Al Jama-ah’s Amad held the mayoral chains for three months after the Democratic Alliance (DA) ‘s Dr Mpho Phalatse was ousted in January.

The city of Johannesburg is the latest metro to be without a mayor. Mogale city’s Tyrone Gray was ousted in a motion of no confidence last week.

Amad is the fifth mayor to take office in the city of Johannesburg since the 2021 local government elections, where no political party won the outright majority resulting in the municipality being hung.

Ndou says it’s up to political leaders to save South Africa. “We have got a lot of hung municipalities that are being led by coalitions and are working very well, we also have metros that are not working very well.
” It should be a lesson for us to say we need to develop strategies in order to avoid a situation where you have dysfunctional coalitions as seen in some metros.”

The city of Johannesburg is expected to elect a new mayor next week. The DA has announced Phalatse as the party’s preferred candidate for the position.