Government is preparing guidelines to steer coalition negotiations in municipalities after the 4 November local government elections, deputy government spokesperson William Baloyi has said.

Baloyi spoke at the IEC's National Results Operations Centre in Midrand. He said the guidelines would be released through the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and would give parties a framework for talks. The aim, he said, is stability and preventing political disagreements from undermining service delivery.

What Baloyi said

Baloyi said: "The most important part is service delivery to the people." He also said "all parties must remember that their contract with the voters is to improve their services", and urged parties: "When they call meetings, go to those meetings."

He said government wants to avoid coalitions being "characterised in some cities by friction".

The clock that parties face

A separate joint circular on the transition to new councils, issued by the Department of Cooperative Governance, National Treasury and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), sets out the timetable. It says a new council must convene its first meeting within 14 days after the council has been declared elected, as required by section 29(2) of the Municipal Structures Act. The government's news service reports that the circular was signed on 30 September 2026.

The circular also calls for handover reports covering three financial years of audit outcomes, to be sent to provincial cooperative governance departments, National Treasury, the department and SALGA before the first council meeting.

After the 2021 elections, 76 municipalities were coalition-led, according to the same government report.

What we do not yet know

  • When the guidelines will be published, and whether they will be binding or advisory.
  • Whether parties will accept guidelines issued by government rather than agreed among themselves.
  • The circular itself could not be read directly, so its details are as reported by government's news service.

The IEC is due to declare final results on Sunday 8 November at 6pm, after which the 14-day period for first council meetings begins to run.