A Year of Living Dangerously? Urban Assertiveness, Cooperative Governance and the First Year of Three Coalition-Led Metropolitan Municipalities in South Africa

South African cities enjoy significant constitutional autonomy and financial independence, meaning that they are well-placed to assert themselves against national and provincial governments, especially in situations of political discordance between different levels of government. This article considers the first year of multi-party coalition-led opposition governance in three South African cities, in attempting to better understand the relationship between cities’ constitutional powers and functions, on the one hand, and their modes of governance, on the other. It focuses on national or provincial attempts to undermine urban governance in opposition-run cities, as well as instances of ‘urban assertiveness’ – city governments conducting themselves in ways that depart from, or oppose, government priorities at regional or national levels.