The th!nc Foundation

The intergovernmental relations challenge of the Zuma administration is snowballing into a cooperation quagmire that requires political maturity similar to the pre-1994 democratic breakthrough elections. The political grandstanding of party leaders and spokespersons can only polarise the environment with grass and elephant consequences for the electorate. The need to understand the nature of these relations outside 2009 electoral mandates and 2011 local government electioneering contexts becomes critical for those charged with the responsibility to govern. The tendency by a DA-led Western Cape administration to operate as though provinces have a defined role in the National Executive should either be toned down, or a reality check on the extent to which a provincial administration can influence direction of the National Executive be made. The strategic references to the Republic’s central government as the federal government can only recreate the federal-unitary state debate that cha...