Is power sharing a good system of governance for Africa?
From Lesotho, Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe to Ethiopia, power sharing has long been tested as a form of governance. It worked well for some, but was a nightmare for others.
In 2009, Morgan Tsvangirai was inaugurated as Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister, following a controversial election. Robert Mugabe remained president. Their parties, the MDC and Zanu-PF formed what came to be known as the Government of National Unity. Although it brought a sense of stability to the troubled nation, it never lasted long.
South Africa is another country that has, in recent years, been testing coalition governments in various cities nationwide. But these political arrangements don’t appear to work. The mayors of two metropolitan areas, including Johannesburg, were sacked through a vote of no confidence, only to be reinstated a few days later. Even president Cyril Ramaphosa recently acknowledged that power sharing leads to instability.
Presenter: Alan Kasujja (@kasujja).
Guests: Tendai Biti, Zimbabwe’s former Finance Minister and Boniface Dulani, Associate Professor at the University of Malawi.
Podcast
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