Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

10 November 2026

5-minute read

Following the outcome of local government elections, South Africa has an important 2 weeks ahead of them as political parties prepare for coalition discussions set to take place behind the scenes.

Check your Sources

In an interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat this morning, political analyst Michael Atkins advises citizens to be wary when consuming election-related news, especially those from unverified sources making the rounds on social media. These could cause heightened tension, but he says it is not as dramatic or disastrous as it may seem and must be approached calmly.

Post the formation of the GNU in 2024, parties are better prepared for coalition talks, even though they face their own internal pressures, like the declining number of councillors in the ANC who are now unemployed.

A Simple Process

According to Atkins, the process is quite simple if it is followed as laid out by the constitution and the Municipal Structure Act, where a speaker is elected by majority vote and parties do not yet have to form coalition agreements. While there may be upheavals and individual cases that go wrong, eventually, SA will turn a corner and in a similar pattern to the GNU, return to stability.

The Right People for the Job

It’s hard to know how the coalition agreements will unfold – “we’ll know it when we see it,” says Atkins. He suggests looking for substance and tone “when the rubber hits the road” and ignoring the angry or flustered reactions by politicians who have been dissed by the public. The right people are those who do not react explosively but can hold things together and make them work. “The small parties are not only necessarily kingmakers – they can also be honest brokers” and bring people together, Atkin concludes.

Listen to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat and Michael Atkins here.

The Kingmaker

In a second interview this morning, Ml Ravat spoke to political analyst Richard Calland who says that ActionSA being labelled a kingmaker in the Gauteng metros can happen – If the numbers work out in a particular way where one party has enough seats in council to enable other parties to form a government, and also if the electorate chooses not to give anybody a majority.

In Johannesburg, a DA-ActionSA coalition is possible, as together they have enough votes to form a government, but not an ANC-ActionSA coalition.

Personality Clashes

“There is a great deal of bad blood between Helen Zille and Herman Mashaba” after Mashaba was pushed out of the DA due to some of his own bad decisions and misjudgements that still rankle him. Calland mentions that “personalities do matter in coalition arrangements and negotiations.” Leaders must get past their personal differences and reach agreements to form stable governments to rescue the metros from the “crisis mode” they now find themselves in.

The ABZ Coalition

Calland feels that a DA-ActionSA coalition is unlikely but says that what he terms an ABZ – Anybody But Zille – coalition is more likely. This will require the ANC, ActionSA and several other smaller parties to join forces; an inherently unstable arrangement given the instability of smaller parties in government.

A Package Deal

In the early stages of the negotiation process, “almost anything is on the table,” states Calland. “A package deal” where parties trade positions in different governments is an option, but it causes a “conundrum” for national leaders who may have to balance many internal and external considerations.

In the interest of stability, says Calland, both the ANC and DA have appointed centralised coordinating structures to manage negotiations that include senior figures from both parties. “National leadership will have to take into account what local leadership, provincial leadership want,” and overriding their wishes could create internal tensions. So, while it may be the right thing to do, it is not straightforward at all.

Listen to the second interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat and Richard Calland here.