The bill that Co-operative-Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa promised will regulate coalitions in local government will soon be introduced in Parliament.
The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) is hoping that the proposed Municipal Structures Amendment Act, commonly known as the Coalition Bill, will be passed by Parliament before the November 4 local government elections.
The bill, which was approved by the Cabinet last week for submission to Parliament, seeks to provide a legislative framework for the formation of coalition governments and to establish mechanisms to minimise coalition-related challenges in local government.
The bill was sparked by the instability that was experienced in some councils where there was no outright winner.
The memorandum of the bill states that hung councils increased from 24 in 2000 to 81 after the 2021 local government elections.
