A new political shift of power is particularly evident in the Western Cape Cederberg municipality where Cederberg Eerste (CE) has dumped its long-term partners, the Democratic Alliance (DA), and joined forces with the African National Congress (ANC).
This new coalition will add CE’s four seats together with the ANC’s two seats to qualify as the government of local unity (GLU) in the municipality that administers the towns of Clanwilliam and Citrusdal. This development comes after CE dissolved its previous alliance with the DA where it had received three seats and Freedom Front Plus having one seat.
ANC Western Cape spokesperson Khalid Sayed however, said that there is a Stakeholder Relations Framework signed which parallels a statement of intent. He attributed the change to ‘irreconcilable differences’ in the previous coalition and implied that problems in the council had started to ingratiate itself in the breakdown of efficient service provision.
“Both the ANC and the CE confirm the commitment to labour for the welfare of the community without prejudice to the voice of the voters and the principle of unity and diversity,” Sayed said, adding that the new alliance is, however, open to other political parties willing to embrace it.
Nevertheless, the political change has received major criticism from the DA. The provincial leader, Tertius Simmers condemned the new structure thus referring to it selfish act by “self-centered politicians” who work hard to advance their whims and fancies rather than actually serving the residents.
Realignment of political forces of this western Cape municipality is therefore a change of dispensation that has electoral implications that may reshape governance and delivery of services in the region. This new coalition formation also throws the lens on analysis of local government politics where every player is in a position to form a new alliance within the blinking of an eye that changes the political equation.
What this has also borne out in Cederberg municipality is the constantly shifting picture of coalition politics at the local government level, where pragmatic considerations for managing the business of government are intertwined with party political objectives and aims to determine the administration of this municipality and delivery of services.
