​Lerato Mailoane
Gauteng Cooperative Governance MEC Lebogang Maile has urged political parties to safeguard voters' interests at the coalition tables.
"Take citizens and their service delivery needs seriously. Let go of the entitlement that leads to you believing your being in government is for the establishment of your fiefdoms, said Maile on Sunday.
The MEC held a media briefing in Sandton on the reconstitution of municipal councils following the Local Government Elections.
The November 1 elections have produced 10 hung municipal councils out of the 11 municipal councils in the province. 
This means that none of the political parties that contested the elections managed to secure an outright majority to govern.
Following weeks of talks, the Gauteng's metros and local councils will be electing office-bearers and constitute councils for the 2021-2026 term of office.
Maile urged political parties to find a way to work together ahead of Tuesday's deadline to form coalitions.
"This can be partly achieved through enhancing the transparency and accountability of coalition arrangements by public disclosure of coalition arrangements to ensure that society can hold the various parties to account.
"Coalition partners can set out clear dispute resolution mechanisms so that coalitions are not prone to fall victim to the whims and moods of political leaders at the expense of governance and stability within municipalities," he added
Maile said coalition arrangements are a normal part of everyday politics in many parts of the world. 
"Although coalition arrangements have proven to be quite tricky and unstable in our young democracy. 
"What is important is that coalition arrangements require a certain element of political maturity, as the art of cooperation and compromise becomes critical for all parties concerned, in order to bring about the types of agreements that will help advance the interests of their core constituencies as well as society at large," he said.