Many political analysts and pollsters expect between 100 and 130 municipal councils to be hung after South Africa’s local government elections.
The following tables show two categories of municipalities with coalition agreements.
The first list is of municipalities singled out by National Treasury for severe financial mismanagement resulting in their having equitable share transfers withheld to the tune of R13.5 billion.
The second lists municipalities that were given a qualified audit opinion, meaning that their financial records are accurate, honest, and follow the rules.
Both tables also show which political parties are in a coalition in each municipality as well as which party holds the mayorship.
Table A: Municipalities with multi-party coalition arrangements that temporarily did not receive their equitable share allocations
| Municipality | Mayorship | Parties in coalition |
| AbaQulusi (Vryheid) | IFP | IFP, DA, FF+ |
| Ditsabotla (Lichtenburg) | ANC | ANC, EFF |
| eMadlangeni (Utrecht) | IFP | IFP, NFP, DA |
| Emfuleni (Vanderbijlpark) | ANC | ANC, EFF, PAC, CSA, ACDP, NHM, VAAL |
| JB Marks (Potchefstroom) | ANC | ANC, PA |
| Johannesburg | ANC | ANC, ActionSA, EFF, PA, IFP, AIC, AL jama-ah |
| Laingsburg | DA | DA, ANC, KDF |
| Lesedi (Heidelberg) | ANC | ANC, SEFM |
| Maluti-a-Phofung (Phuthaditjhaba) | ANC | ANC, EFF |
| Merafong (Carletonville) | ANC | ANC, Independent |
| Modimolle-Mookgophong (Modimolle) | ANC | ANC, EFF |
| Nala (Bothaville) | ANC | ANC, NCF |
| Nelson Mandela Bay (Gqberha) | ANC | ANC, EFF, NA, AIC, PAC |
| Newcastle | IFP | IFP, TSSA, ActionSA, FF+ |
| Rand West (Randfontein) | ANC | ANC, RPP, EFF |
| Thembelihle (Hopetown) | SBG | ANC, SGB |
| Theewaterskloof (Caledon) | DA | DA, GOOD |
Table B: Municipalities that received an unqualified audit with no findings (clean audit), 2024/25
| Municipality | Mayorship | Parties in coalition |
| Breede Valley (Worcester) | DA | DA, FF+ |
| Cape Agulhas (Bredasdorp) | DA | DA, FF+ |
| George | DA | DA, FF+, ACDP |
| Langeberg (Ashton) | DA | DA, PDM, LIP |
| Saldanha | DA | DA, FF+ |
| uMhlathuze (Richards Bay) | IFP | IFP, DA, NFP, ACDP, FF+ |
| Witzenberg (Ceres) | DA | DA, WA, WP, FF+ |
Key takeaways:
- Not a single municipality that received a clean audit and that was governed through a multi-party coalition arrangement, had the African National Congress (ANC), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Action SA, or Patriotic Alliance (PA) involved in the coalition.
- All municipalities that received a clean audit, and were governed through a coalition arrangement, had the Democratic Alliance (DA) involved in the coalition.
- Most municipalities that received a clean audit and were governed through a coalition arrangement had the DA and Freedom Front Plus (FF+) working together.
- Having many parties involved in a coalition can increase the risk of administrative paralysis. As Table B however shows, some municipalities with several parties cobbled into a coalition can still receive clean audits. This includes uMhlathuze (Richards Bay) under an Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), DA, National Freedom Party (NFP), African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), and FF+ coalition.
- Johannesburg has a fragmented political landscape, currently with eight parties in a coalition.
[Image: Alan Aprilio on Unsplash]
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