Enhancing political accountability in South Africa

The document argues that South Africa is transitioning from a dominant-party system to one characterized by coalition governments, particularly at the local level where the number of hung councils rose from under 30 to approximately 80 after the 2021 elections. It highlights a decline in democratic satisfaction and trust in parliament between 2011 and 2021. To address this, the author recommends comprehensive electoral reform for the seventh parliament (post-2024), specifically adopting a hybrid system where half of parliamentary and provincial seats are directly elected via single-member constituencies and half via proportional representation. Additionally, it calls for the publication of coalition agreements, the professionalization of the civil service to prevent patronage, and the establishment of an independent body to manage constituency boundaries to prevent manipulation by large parties.

• South Africa is shifting from a dominant-party system to a more competitive one, evidenced by the African National Congress (ANC) falling below a 50% total vote share for the first time during the 2021 local elections.
• There has been a significant increase in coalition governance at the local level, with the number of hung councils increasing from fewer than 30 before the 2021 elections to approximately 80 afterwards.
• Public trust in South African democratic institutions has declined sharply, with satisfaction with democracy and trust in parliament essentially halving between 2011 and 2021.
• The document advocates for a hybrid electoral system where 50% of parliamentary and provincial legislative seats are directly elected through single-member constituencies and 50% are distributed via proportional representation to balance direct accountability with inclusivity.
• To prevent political interference and the engineering of systems that benefit larger parties, the document recommends that constituency boundaries be managed by an independent body or that the remit of the Municipal Demarcations Board be expanded.
• To improve accountability in coalition governments, the author recommends that political parties publish their coalition agreements and that the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) implement the October 2022 national framework on professionalisation to curb patronage.

APA

Desai, P., & Zondo, M. (2023). Enhancing political accountability in South Africa. Good Governance Africa. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2023/06/Enhancing-Political-Accountability-Policy-Briefing.pdf

Chicago

Desai, Pranish, and Mxolisi Zondo. Enhancing political accountability in South Africa. Good Governance Africa, 2023. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2023/06/Enhancing-Political-Accountability-Policy-Briefing.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Desai |first1=Pranish |last2=Zondo |first2=Mxolisi |title=Enhancing political accountability in South Africa |publisher=Good Governance Africa |date=June 2023 |url=https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2023/06/Enhancing-Political-Accountability-Policy-Briefing.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{desai2023enhancing, author = {Desai, Pranish and Zondo, Mxolisi}, title = {{Enhancing political accountability in South Africa}}, institution = {Good Governance Africa}, year = {2023}, month = jun, url = {https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2023/06/Enhancing-Political-Accountability-Policy-Briefing.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }