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The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs on Tuesday resolved to integrate two legislative proposals aimed at stabilising coalition governments at the local level.
 
The committee discussed the Private Members Bill – the Local Government: Municipal Structures Second Amendment Bill – introduced by Mr George Michalakis, a member of the National Assembly, which seeks to provide legal clarity and help stabilise coalition governments.
 
Presenting his proposals, Mr Michalakis told the committee that following the 2026 Local Government Elections, coalition governments will be the “new norm”. According to him, this will mean political parties and independent candidates will have to come together and form workable coalitions for the good of South Africa. “Currently, many local government coalitions are highly unstable and plagued by frequent motions of no confidence, impacting their capacity to ensure stable, consistent and quality service delivery to residents. These motions of no confidence are often used by smaller parties, in cooperation with opposition benches, as a political tool, rather than a way to hold government accountable for failing to fulfil their duties adequately,” he said, noting that this will continue in the absence of much-needed legislation to ensure stable coalitions.
 
The committee noted that the Department of COGTA has a similar Bill – the Local Government: Municipal Structures Amendment Bill – underway and that there is significant overlap between the two Bills. Members were concerned that since the two Bills seek to address the same issues, it may lead to duplication, delays and possibly confusion among the public during public hearings.
 
Committee Chairperson Dr Zweli Mkhize noted that the Private Member’s Bill has already been formally introduced to the committee and that the department’s efforts, also currently underway, must be aligned to ensure coherence and, importantly, timeliness. “Presenting two similar Bills separately for public comment within a short space of time would be procedurally inefficient and impractical,” the Chairperson said, adding that the public and Parliament would be forced to consider overlapping Bills twice. We must avoid that.”
 
Acknowledging the need to process and finalise the legislation speedily ahead of the local government elections next year, the committee resolved that Mr Michalakis must engage with the Minister of COGTA to find ways to integrate the proposals into a single bill. The committee stated that this must be done within one month and that the Minister must thereafter brief the committee. During this briefing, the Minister must provide an update on the status of the department’s Bill and its readiness for introduction to Parliament, the department’s proposals on integrating the private member’s proposals, and provide the committee with a timeline for the expeditious tabling and processing of the bill to ensure that the legislation is in place ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
 
Following this, the committee will deliberate and decide on the best course of action, including consideration of the motion of desirability on the Private Member’s Bill. The committee stressed that the process must be without unnecessary procedural delays. The process must also be done in a manner that respects both parliamentary procedure and the public interest.

Issued by the Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Cogta, Dr Zweli Mkhize