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The Eastern Cape province of South Africa is governed in a parliamentary system in which the people elect the provincial legislature and the legislature, in turn, elects the Premier as head of the executive. The Premier leads an Executive Council consisting of members who oversee various executive departments. The structure of the provincial government is defined by chapter six of the Constitution of South Africa.
The Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature, situated in Bhisho, is the legislative branch of the provincial government. It is a unicameral legislature of 63 members, elected by a system of party-list proportional representation. An election is held every five years, conventionally at the same time as the election of the National Assembly.
After the election of 8 May 2019 there were forty-four members of the provincial legislature (MPLs) representing the African National Congress, ten representing the Democratic Alliance, five representing the Economic Freedom Fighters, two representing the United Democratic Movement, one representing the African Transformation Movement and one representing the Freedom Front Plus. [1]
The Premier of the Eastern Cape is the head of the provincial government. The premier is chosen by the members of the provincial parliament from amongst themselves. The Premier appoints Members of the Executive Council (MECs) to oversee the various departments of the provincial government. The Director-General is the non-political head of the provincial administration, while each department is led by a Head of Department. The current Premier is Oscar Mabuyane of the African National Congress. Besides the Premier, the Eastern Cape Executive Council consists of ten MECs overseeing twelve departments.
| Portfolio | MEC |
|---|---|
| Premier | Oscar Mabuyane |
| Finance, Economic Development and Environmental Affairs | Mlungisi Mvoko |
| Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs | Zolile Williams |
| Rural Development and Agrarian Reform | Nonkqubela Pieters |
| Education | Fundile Gade |
| Human Settlements | Siphokazi Mani-Lusithi |
| Safety and Liaison | Xolile Nqatha |
| Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture | Nonceba Kontsiwe |
| Social Development | Bukiwe Fanta |
| Health | Nomakhosazana Meth |
| Public Works | Ntombovuyo Nkopane |
South Africa has a single national judiciary; there is no separate system of provincial courts. The Eastern Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa has jurisdiction over all cases arising in the province, but generally handles only the most serious or high-profile criminal trials, high-value civil trials, cases involving judicial review of legislation or executive actions, and appeals from the magistrates' courts. The High Court has its main seat at Grahamstown and local seats at Bhisho, Mthatha and Port Elizabeth as well as a regular circuit court at East London. Appeals from the High Court are to the national Supreme Court of Appeal and ultimately (if a constitutional matter is involved) to the Constitutional Court.
The province is divided into magisterial districts, each of which is served by a district magistrate's court which has jurisdiction over all criminal cases except murder, rape and treason and can impose a fine of up to R100,000 or a prison sentence of up to three years, as well as jurisdiction over civil cases where the value of the claim is less than R100,000. The regional magistrate's court for the province, which sits at multiple locations, has jurisdiction over all criminal cases except treason and can impose a fine of up to R300,000 or a prison sentence of up to fifteen years (or life in some circumstances). The regional court also has jurisdiction over civil cases where the value of the claim is less than R300,000, and divorce and family law cases.
The Eastern Cape is divided into two metropolitan municipalities and six district municipalities which are subdivided into thirty-one local municipalities. The municipalities are listed below.
South Africa is divided into nine provinces. On the eve of the 1994 general election, South Africa's former homelands, known as Bantustans, were reintegrated into the country, and the four provinces were increased to nine by dividing Cape Province and the Transvaal into three and four, respectively. The twelfth, thirteenth and sixteenth amendments to the Constitution of South Africa changed the borders of seven of the provinces.
The High Court of South Africa is a superior court of law in South Africa. It is divided into nine provincial divisions, some of which sit in more than one location. Each High Court division has general jurisdiction over a defined geographical area in which it is situated. The decisions of a division are binding on magistrates' courts within its area of jurisdiction. The High Court has jurisdiction over all matters, but it usually only hears civil matters involving more than 400,000 rand, and serious criminal cases. It also hears any appeals or reviews from magistrates' courts and other lower courts.
The Republic of South Africa is a parliamentary republic with a three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a parliamentary system. Legislative authority is held by the Parliament of South Africa.
The Premier of the Eastern Cape is the head of government of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The current Premier of the Eastern Cape is Oscar Mabuyane, a member of the African National Congress, who was elected in the 2019 election. He took office on 22 May 2019.
The Western Cape province of South Africa is governed in a parliamentary system in which the people elect the Provincial Parliament, and the parliament elects the Premier as head of the executive. The Premier leads a cabinet of provincial ministers overseeing various executive departments. The provincial government is subject to the Constitution of the Western Cape and the Constitution of South Africa, which together form the supreme law of the province.
The courts of South Africa are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in South Africa. They apply the law of South Africa and are established under the Constitution of South Africa or under Acts of the Parliament of South Africa.
The nine provinces of South Africa are governed by provincial governments which form the second layer of government, between the national government and the municipalities. The provincial governments are established, and their structure defined, by Chapter Six of the Constitution of South Africa.
The Northern Cape province of South Africa is governed in a parliamentary system in which the people elect the provincial legislature and the legislature, in turn, elects the Premier as head of the executive. The Premier leads an Executive Council consisting of members who oversee various executive departments. The structure of the provincial government is defined by chapter six of the Constitution of South Africa.
The government of Gauteng province in South Africa consists of a unicameral legislature elected by proportional representation, and an executive branch headed by a Premier who is elected by the legislature.
Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane is a South African politician who has been serving as the seventh Premier of the Eastern Cape since May 2019. He was previously Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism in the Eastern Cape provincial government from May 2018 to May 2019.
Sindiswa Griselda Gomba is a South African politician who was the Eastern Cape MEC for Health from 2019 to 2021. She became a Member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature in March 2019. Gomba is a member of the African National Congress (ANC) and previously served as a municipal councillor of the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality.
Babalo Madikizela is a South African urban planner and politician who served as the Eastern Cape MEC for Public Works from May 2019 to July 2022 and as a Member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature from November 2018 to August 2022. Madikizela served as the provincial treasurer of the African National Congress (ANC) from October 2017 to May 2022.
Pumza Patricia Dyantyi was a South African politician and anti-apartheid activist. A member of the African National Congress, Dyantyi was elected to the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature in 2014. She served as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Health from 2014 to 2018, when she was appointed MEC for Social Development. From 2019 Dyantyi was a member of the South African National Assembly.
Fezeka Nkomonye-Bayeni is a South African politician who served the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture in the Eastern Cape from 2019 until 2022. She has been a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature since 2014, and previously from 2009 to 2010. Nkomonye-Bayeni is a member of the African National Congress.
Weziwe Tikana is a South African politician, educator and trade unionist. She was the Eastern Cape MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison from 2014 until 2022. She has been a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature since 2014. Tikana is a member of the African National Congress.
Marshall Roberto von Buchenroder is a South African politician for the Democratic Alliance (DA). Von Buchenroder is currently a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature.
Sanele Magaqa is a South African politician and a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature for the Democratic Alliance (DA). He previously served as a DA councillor in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality and the Amathole District Municipality.
Bulelwa Tunyiswa is a South African politician who served as the Eastern Cape's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture from May 2018 to May 2019. Before that, she was the Deputy Speaker of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature from 2010 to 2018. She lost her position on the Executive Council after the 2019 general election, when she failed to gain re-election to the provincial legislature. A member of the African National Congress (ANC), Tunyiswa has also been a member of the Central Committee of the South African Communist Party (SACP) since 2012.
Mary Nombulelo Mabandla was a South African politician who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature from May 2009 until her death in September 2011. During that time, she served as the Eastern Cape's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Human Settlements between May 2009 and November 2010. Before her election to the provincial legislature, Mabandla was an ANC Youth League activist and a local councillor in Mhlontlo Local Municipality, her hometown.
The North West of South Africa is governed in a parliamentary system in which the people elect the North West Provincial Legislature and the legislature elects the Premier as head of the executive. The Premier leads a cabinet of MECs overseeing various executive departments. The provincial government is subject to the Constitution of South Africa.