Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature

Last updated
Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature

Oos-Kaapse Provinsiale Wetgewer (Afrikaans)
Indlu yoWiso-mthetho yePhondo leMpuma-Kapa (Xhosa)
7th Legislature
Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature seal.png
Type
Type
Leadership
Speaker
Helen Sauls-August, ANC
since 22 May 2019 [1]
Deputy Speaker
Vuyo Jali, ANC
since 14 June 2024 [2]
Premier
Oscar Mabuyane, ANC
since 22 May 2019 [3]
Leader of the Opposition
Vicky Knoetze, DA
since 14 June 2024 [4]
Structure
Seats72
South Africa Eastern Cape Parliament 2024.svg
Political groups
Government (45)
  •   ANC (45)

Official Opposition (11)

  •   DA (11)

Other parties (16)

Elections
Party-list proportional representation
Last election
29 May 2024
Meeting place
Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature situated in Bhisho, Eastern Cape.jpg
Provincial Legislature Building, Independence Avenue, Bhisho
Website
Official website

The Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature is the primary legislative body of the South African province of Eastern Cape. It is unicameral in its composition, and elects the premier and the provincial cabinet from among the members of the leading party or coalition in the parliament.

Contents

At the commencement of the 7th provincial legislature on 14 June 2024, the number of seats allocated to the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature increased from 63 to 72. [5]

Powers

The Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature elects the Premier of the Eastern Cape and can force the Premier to resign by passing a motion of no confidence. Even though the Executive Council of the province is appointed by the Premier, the legislature can pass a motion of no confidence forcing the Premier to reconfigure the Council. The provincial legislature also designates that Eastern Cape's delegates to the National Council of Provinces, assigning delegates to parties in proportion to the total number of seats each party holds in the legislature.

The legislature has the power to pass legislation in numerous fields set forth in the national constitution; in some fields, the legislative power is shared with the national parliament, while in others it is reserved to the province. The fields include matters such as health, education, agriculture, housing, environmental protection, and development planning.

The legislature supervises the administration of the Eastern Cape provincial government, and the Premier of the Eastern Cape and the members of the Executive Council are required to report to the legislature on the performance of their individual responsibilities. The legislature also manages the pecuniary matters of the provincial government by way of the appropriation bills which determine the provincial budget. [6]

Election

The provincial legislature consists of 72 members, who are elected through a system of party list proportional representation with closed lists. In other words, each voter casts a vote for one political party, and seats in the legislature are allocated to the parties in proportion to the number of votes received. The seats are then filled by members in accordance with lists submitted by the parties before the election.

The legislature is elected for a term of five years unless it is dissolved early. This may occur if the legislature votes to dissolve and it is at least three years since the last election, or if the Premiership falls vacant and the legislature fails to elect a new Premier within ninety days. By convention, all nine provincial legislatures and the National Assembly are elected on the same day.

The most recent election was held on 29 May 2024. The following table summarises the results.

PartyVotesVote %Seats
ANC 1,114,29462.1645
DA 267,00714.8911
EFF 181,85510.148
UDM 66,5723.713
PA 41,3552.312
ATM 27,7611.551
MK 25,9041.441
VF+ 9,3210.521
Other parties57,5243.280
Total1,791,593100.072

The following table shows the composition of the provincial parliament after past elections.

Event AIC ANC ATM COPE DP/DA EFF FF/FF+ MK NP/NNP PA PAC UDM
1994 election 481061
1999 election 4740219
2004 election 5150016
2009 election 14496003
2014 election 1451102004
2019 election 04410105102
2024 election 0451011811203

Officers

The Speaker is the political head of the legislature and is assisted by a Deputy Speaker. The current Speaker is Helen Sauls-August and the Deputy Speaker is Mlibo Qoboshiyane; they are both members of the African National Congress (ANC). [7] The following people have served as Speaker:

NameTerm startTerm endParty
Gugile Nkwinti 19941999ANC
Mkhangeli Matomela 19992004ANC
Noxolo Kiviet 20042009ANC
Fikile Xasa 20092014ANC
Noxolo Kiviet20142019ANC
Helen Sauls-August 2019IncumbentANC

Members

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References

  1. Oscar Mabuyane sworn in as new Eastern Cape premier. Retrieved on 23 May 2019.
  2. "Re-elected premier Mabuyane praises Eastern Cape for peaceful elections". HeraldLIVE. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  3. Eastern Cape to hold its first sitting for sixth administration. Retrieved on 23 May 2019.
  4. "DA MPLs ready to fight for the people of the Eastern Cape". www.polity.org.za. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  5. "Electoral Commission on determination of seats for provincial legislatures | South African Government". www.gov.za. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  6. Separation of Powers
  7. Presiding Officers: Sixth Term. Retrieved on 26 June 2019.