Democracy Works Foundation

Democracy Works Foundation DWF empowers citizens and leaders with tools to make democracy work in southern Africa.

| "Functional coalitions require political learning"Prof Susan Booysen described South Africa as undergoing a second m...
07/10/2026

| "Functional coalitions require political learning"
Prof Susan Booysen described South Africa as undergoing a second major political transition — from an era of single-party dominance towards coalition politics.
💡 A coalition government does not automatically mean poor governance. As she pointed out, municipalities do not need coalitions to underperform, and governance and service-delivery failures are also found in municipalities governed by outright majorities.
✍The question is, therefore, how political parties learn to govern effectively in this changing environment.
💡Prof Booysen noted that this learning is already taking place. Parties are gaining experience in which coalition arrangements work, understanding local political cultures and relationships, and navigating the realities of negotiating shared government. With experience, she suggested, there is potential for greater stability.
💡 Coalition politics is not simply about learning how to form a government. It is about learning how to govern together.

| Dr Laurence Caromba, Researcher of Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA), shared insights from the ...
07/10/2026

| Dr Laurence Caromba, Researcher of Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA), shared insights from the organisation's research into South Africa's evolving coalition landscape through its Coalitions Barometer. The data points to a clear reality: coalition politics is becoming the new norm in South Africa.

💡 Today, MISTRA launched its 2026 Coalitions Barometer Report, offering data and analysis on the state and evolution of coalition governance across the country.

📲 Explore the data and read the report here: https://coalitions.mistra.org.za/

| "Coalitions are an expression of voter choice."Ms Lindiwe Mazibuko made a point that voters are deliberately distrib...
06/10/2026

| "Coalitions are an expression of voter choice."

Ms Lindiwe Mazibuko made a point that voters are deliberately distributing their support across parties rather than consistently handing one political party an outright mandate.

💡 A coalition government should therefore be understood partly as an outcome of what voters are communicating through the ballot.

💡 Ms Mazibuko called for proper negotiations, greater openness and publicly accessible programmes of action. Citizens need to know what coalition partners collectively intend to accomplish rather than merely how positions have been divided between parties.

💡 Importantly, she argued that accountability does not end at the ballot box. Citizens need to remain engaged, scrutinise coalition arrangements and demand consequences when governments fail to deliver.

| How can young people move from talking about democracy to actively participating in it? That was one of the resoundi...
05/10/2026

| How can young people move from talking about democracy to actively participating in it? That was one of the resounding questions from our youth audience.

Spaces like the Cool Politics Café create opportunities to learn and engage but experience is also a powerful teacher.
📢 Young people are encouraged to visit the IEC’s official website and check the current vacancies for Electoral Officers and Elections Officers ahead of the upcoming Local Government Elections.
🌐Check here for posts: https://shorturl.at/TlVN7
⏰ Applications close between 7 and 10 October (This week!)
Don’t wait any longer if you haven't applied yet.

Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)

| Dr Sithembile Mbete reflected on the deeper political challenges affecting local government, arguing that institutio...
05/10/2026

| Dr Sithembile Mbete reflected on the deeper political challenges affecting local government, arguing that institutional and technical reforms alone cannot resolve dysfunction rooted in how political power is exercised and how municipalities are governed.
For Dr Mbete, strengthening local government also requires addressing the relationship between political leadership and municipal administration, creating the conditions for parties to govern effectively in an increasingly multiparty environment, and ensuring that public participation is treated as a meaningful part of local governance, not an afterthought.
Citizens therefore have an important role to play, not because they are responsible for the dysfunction in municipalities, but because an accountable local democracy requires people to have meaningful ways to participate, scrutinise those in power and understand who represents them.

💡 So, how can the public participate?
1️⃣ Know who represents you. Find out who your ward councillor is through the IEC website. 👉 https://shorturl.at/9ENuJ

2️⃣ Get involved in election observation. Eligible civil society and community organisations can apply to the IEC for accreditation to observe elections.
👉 https://shorturl.at/XkzmN

3️⃣ Become an independent election observer. Individuals can sign up through Ground Work Collective’s Protect Our Democracy programme to participate as trained, non-partisan election observers.
👉 https://shorturl.at/vL1tU

🫵 What role will you play?

Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)

| “The real test is governing together.”For Dr Rekgotsofetse Chikane, the question is less about whether citizens are ...
05/10/2026

| “The real test is governing together.”
For Dr Rekgotsofetse Chikane, the question is less about whether citizens are ready for coalition politics and more about whether political parties can learn to govern together rather than simply position themselves to win the next political contest.

💬What do you think?

| A special thank you to our brilliant panellists — some of South Africa's leading thinkers and actors in democracy an...
02/10/2026

| A special thank you to our brilliant panellists — some of South Africa's leading thinkers and actors in democracy and governance. What a privilege to have you share your knowledge, insights, and commitment to making this country better.🫶

We’ll be unpacking the conversation further by sharing key points and takeaways from each speaker. Stay tuned!

| What a night ✨ A timely and engaging conversation on coalition politics leading up to the local government election...
02/10/2026

| What a night ✨ A timely and engaging conversation on coalition politics leading up to the local government elections. The central topic was how South Africa moves from a winner-takes-all political culture towards functional multiparty governance. Thank you to our incredible audience for showing up, engaging and reminding us why democracy building needs more spaces like this. 👏

😊 | We are ready and set for today...see you soon 🙌Time: 4:30PM for 5PMVenue: Market Theatre SquareAddress: 138 Lilian...
01/10/2026

😊 | We are ready and set for today...see you soon 🙌
Time: 4:30PM for 5PM
Venue: Market Theatre Square
Address: 138 Lilian Ngoyi St, Newtown, Johannesburg

☕ | Don't forget to share one question for our speakers for tomorrow's dialogue. Comment below✍👇
30/09/2026

☕ | Don't forget to share one question for our speakers for tomorrow's dialogue. Comment below✍👇

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