OPINION: South Africa’s cities face a defining test as coalition instability threatens economic growth

• What happens when no party has enough support to govern South Africa’s major cities alone?
  
• South Africa’s biggest cities stand at a political crossroads, with fragile coalition negotiations set to determine whether metros recover or slip deeper into decline.
  
• As Johannesburg and other economic hubs face uncertain leadership, the stakes extend far beyond politics to jobs, investment and service delivery.
  

By Amy Musgrave

South Africa’s largest cities potentially face years of political and economic instability following this week’s local government vote, with polls showing that no party has enough support to win clear majorities in most metros.

Of the country’s eight metro councils, pre-poll surveys – and history – suggest that only Cape Town and eThekwini will be able to form a government within days of polls closing.

In the latter city, President Jacob Zuma’s upstarts, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), have rapidly grown into the latest popular vehicle for