The DA intends to revive two private members’ bills that are aimed at regulating coalitions by limiting the number of motions of no confidence against office-bearers across the spheres of government.
The two bills were re-published in the government gazette last Friday after those previously introduced in the last term of Parliament expired in terms of parliamentary rules.
The party’s chief whip George Michalakis said in a statement the notice of intention to re-introduce two key private member bills to Parliament was part of his party’s ongoing efforts to stabilise coalition governments across the country.
Michalakis said the Local Government: Municipal Structures Amendment Bill and the Constitution Nineteenth Amendment Bill will seek to add stability to coalition governments on a local, provincial, and national level.
“South African politics is no longer characterised by a single majority party holding power to the exclusion of all others. “Whether on a local, provincial, or national government level, the era of coalition and co-governance politics will become the new norm,” he said.
The notice for the Nineteenth Constitutional Amendment Bill said there was a practice of motions of no confidence being used as a political tool, rather than for the mechanism originally intended to remove a speaker or mayor from office. It said the practice would work its way up to the provincial and national governments, a move that will have a disastrous impact on the stability of the country at-large.
“What needs to change is simple –there needs to be a limitation on the number of motions of no confidence that are allowed to be brought either at national or provincial spheres in a certain time frame.
“This will, at the very least, give the respective government an uninterrupted period in which to perform or steady the country.”
The draft bill proposes to limit the number of motions of no confidence brought against a President or Premier to only one motion per every 12 month-period from the date of the last motion.
“However, as a safety mechanism, the draft Bill will propose that additional motions of no confidence may be brought in exceptional circumstances such as a violation of the Constitution or law, misconduct or the inability to perform the functions of office.”
The Local Government: Municipal Structures Amendment Bill proposes a motion to remove a speaker, mayor and whip from office may be tabled once in a year and also provides similar safeguards like the Constitutional Amendment Bill.
It also provides for the Council Speaker to refer the motion to an independent panel.
This is to consider the preliminary validity of the motion.
Michalakis said limiting the number of motions of no confidence would ensure that coalition governments have the breathing space to properly implement their plans, processes, and budgets in order to actually serve the people and not their own pockets.
Michalakis also said with the 2026 local government elections around the corner, political parties and independent candidates would have to come together and form workable coalitions for the good of all South Africans.
Cape Times