Prof. Bheki Mngomezulu
The announcement was made that Deputy President Paul Mashatile was going to host a two-day national dialogue from August 4-5 to discuss how various stakeholders would agree on a framework to govern coalitions. The idea was warmly received by many.
I was one of those who applauded this move, especially given the chaos that the country has experienced with coalition governments which have been badly managed.
The idea was indeed a noble one; it was necessary and long overdue. Given the high prospects of not having a single party with an outright majority in the 2024 general elections, it was necessary to think ahead and plan accordingly for the inevitable.
Moreover, the decision to invite various stakeholders to form part of these discussions demonstrated determination from the side of the organisers to have an inclusive process that was going to cater for different voices, not just the 14 political parties currently represented in the National Assembly. Indeed, politicians are public representatives but there are also other stakeholders with huge constituencies. These include but are not limited to churches and NGOs.
But with this event having been concluded, we can now reflect on how it proceeded and establish the extent to which it achieved its intended goal of initiating a process that would culminate in the enactment of legislation that will govern coalition governments.
Several things have emerged from this national dialogue. One of them is that not all political parties were happy about several things that happened during the two days.
Political parties such as the African Transformation Movement (ATM), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) did not hide their resentment.
Among other things, there was concern about the sitting arrangement. ATM leader Vuyolwethu Zungula complained that as political parties that represent the South African people, they should have been given a seat in an appropriate place, not to be placed at the back as if they do not have a constituency.
While some might see this as a trivial issue, it must be addressed. There have been complaints that the DA-led coalitions have seen the DA dictating to other partners. If the ANC is viewed in the same manner, no progress shall be made in such discussions.
The PAC totally dismissed this discussion as the ANC’s ploy to save itself. Its leader, Mzwanele Nyhontso wanted to know why the ANC did not convene such a discussion when it was still enjoying most of the support nationally? Why did it deem it necessary to convene the national dialogue when the prospects of the ANC failing to reach the required threshold in next year’s election are becoming a reality?
On its part, the EFF alleged that the national dialogue was predetermined. In their view, the ANC and the DA had agreed in principle on their expected outcome before coming to the dialogue. For this reason, the EFF felt undermined by both the ANC and the DA. Other political parties shared the same view.
The proposal that a party must get at least 1% before securing a seat was interpreted as the ANC and the DA’s way of pushing smaller parties away.
Considering the country’s Proportional Representation (PR) system, it is difficult to summarily refute the allegation made by smaller parties against the ANC (and the DA). For this proposal to work, both the Constitution and the Electoral Act would have to be amended to avoid being accused of acting outside of the law.
The points enumerated above lead to the conclusion that the national dialogue did not achieve its intended goal. Instead of the different political parties finding one another as was expected, they drifted further apart. There was suspicion and trust deficit among them. This rendered the entire exercise fruitless.
Having said the above, it was necessary to have this discussion. In fact, there is an urgent need to legislate on how coalition governments should be constituted and run to ensure democratic consolidation. What has been happening to date is that coalition governments have been unstable since they were negotiated in bad faith, run with disrespect, and had no rules to sustain them.
Consequently, these coalition governments have done the electorate a disservice. The electorate has not been receiving services while politicians fight for positions. Failure to pass a municipal budget means that nothing can be done by that municipality. This is an insult to the electorate.
Therefore, while the national dialogue did not produce the expected results, it would be wrong to advance the view that it was unnecessary. This was the first attempt. Mistakes have been made. Some concerns have been raised. Lack of trust has been evident. The country can only learn from this experience and do better next time!
Prof. Bheki Mngomezulu is Director of the Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism and Democracy at the Nelson Mandela University
The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Independent Media or IOL.