National Council of Provinces

Last updated

National Council of Provinces
List
  • 10 other official names:
  • Nasionale Raad van Provinsies (Afrikaans)
  • umKhandlu weNarha oNgamele iimFunda (Southern Ndebele)
  • IBhunga leSizwe lamaPhondo (Xhosa)
  • uMkhandlu kaZwelonke weziFundazwe (Zulu)
  • uMkhandlu waVelonkhe wetiFundza (Swazi)
  • Lekgotla la Bosetšhaba la Diprofense (Northern Sotho)
  • Lekgotla la Naha la Diprofense (Sotho)
  • Lekgotla la Bosetšhaba la Diporofense (Tswana)
  • Huvo ya Rixaka ya Swifundzhankulu (Tsonga)
  • Khoro ya Lushaka ya Mavunḓu (Venda)
28th Parliament
Type
Type
Leadership
Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, ANC
since 15 June 2024
Deputy Chairperson
Les Govender, IFP
since 9 July 2024
Chief Whip
Kenny Mmoiemang,ANC
since 15 June 2024
TBC
Structure
Seats90 (54 permanent, 36 special)
South Africa NCOP 2024.svg
Political groups
  •    ANC (24 + 19)
  •    DA (12 + 9)
  •    EFF (8 + 2)
  •    MK (5 + 4)
  •   VF+ (2 + 0)
  •    IFP (1 + 1)
  •    PA (1 + 1)
  •   UDM (1 + 0)
  •   ActionSA (0 + 1)
Elections
Last election
13 and 14 June 2024
Next election
2029
Meeting place
National Council of Provinces of South Africa.jpg
NCOP Chamber, Houses of Parliament, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Website
National Council of Provinces

The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) is the upper house of the Parliament of South Africa under the (post-apartheid) constitution which came into full effect in 1997. It replaced the former Senate, but is very similar to that body, and to many other upper houses of legislatures throughout the world, in that its purpose is to represent the governments of the provinces, rather than directly representing the people. [1]

Contents

Composition

The NCOP consists of ninety delegates, ten delegates for each of the nine provinces regardless of the population of the province. Each province is equally represented in the NCOP.

A provincial delegation is composed of six permanent delegates and four special delegates. The party representation in the delegation must proportionally reflect the party representation in the provincial legislature, based on a formula included in the Constitution.

The permanent delegates are selected by the nine provincial legislatures. The four special delegates include the Premier of the province and three other delegates. They are nominated by each province from the members of the provincial legislature and are contingent on the subject matter being considered by the NCOP. The premier leads the province's delegation in the NCOP, but they can choose any of the other delegates to head the delegation in their absence.

The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) is also part of the NCOP. SALGA has 10 delegates who may partake in the debates and other activities, but they do not vote.

Current composition

After the elections of 29 May 2024, the new provincial legislatures met on 13 and 14 June 2024 to elect NCOP delegations. The first sitting of the NCOP took place on 15 June 2024. The delegations elected are described in the following table.

PartyDelegate typeProvinceTotal
EC FS G KZN L M NW NC WC
African National Congress Permanent3321434312443
Special32214222119
Democratic Alliance Permanent1121111131220
Special1111138
Economic Freedom Fighters Permanent11111111810
Special112
UMkhonto WeSizwe Permanent13159
Special1214
Freedom Front Plus Permanent1122
Inkatha Freedom Party Permanent112
Special11
Patriotic Alliance Permanent112
Special11
United Democratic Movement Permanent111
ActionSA Special111
Total10101010101010101090

Population per delegate

Province2022 census population [2] Population per delegate
Eastern Cape7,230,204723,020.4
Free State2,964,412296,441.2
Gauteng15,099,4221,509,942.2
KwaZulu-Natal12,423,9071,242,390.7
Limpopo6,572,720657,272.0
Mpumalanga5,143,324514,332.4
North West3,804,548380,454.8
Northern Cape1,355,946135,594.6
Western Cape7,433,019743,301.9
South Africa62,027,503689,194.5

Role in the legislative process

The NCOP may consider, amend, propose amendments to, or reject the legislation. It must consider all national bills, and also has the power to initiate legislation in the functional areas where Parliament and the provincial legislatures have concurrent legislative power. [1]

The NCOP has four decision-making mechanisms depending on the type of bill: [3]

Office bearers

Chairperson and deputy chairperson

The office of President of the Senate was succeeded by the office of chairperson of the National Council of Provinces in 1997. The inaugural holder of the position was Mosiuoa Lekota. He served as chairperson from 1997 to 1999. The chairperson is elected from the permanent delegates for a five-year term. The election of the chairperson is presided over by the Chief Justice of South Africa. The Chief Justice can, however, designate another judge to preside. The chairperson, in turn, presides over the other elections that takes place in the chamber. The legislative body also elects a permanent deputy chairperson. A second deputy chairperson is elected for a one-year term. The position rotates between the nine provinces, enabling the provinces to have its members elected second deputy chairpersos.,

The chairperson chairs all the sittings of the National Council of the Provinces. If the chairperson is not present at the sittings, the deputy chairperson or House Chairpersons can preside over the sitting of the chamber. [4]

The current chairperson is Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane who took office on 15 June 2024. The following people have served as chairperson of the NCOP:

No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)		Term of officePolitical party
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1 Mosiuoa Lekota, 000215-D-9880W-112 detail.jpg Mosiuoa Lekota
(born 1948)		6 February 199721 June 19992 years, 135 days African National Congress
2 Naledi Pandor 2012.jpg Naledi Pandor
(born 1953)		21 June 19994 May 20044 years, 318 days African National Congress
3 No image.png Joyce Kgoali
(1950–2004)		4 May 200421 November 2004
(Died in office)		201 days African National Congress
4 Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu.jpg Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu
(born 1952)		17 January 2005
Acting since
21 November 2004		22 May 20149 years, 125 days African National Congress
5 Spotkanie premier Beaty Szydlo z Thandi Modise (cropped).jpg Thandi Modise
(born 1959)		22 May 201422 May 20195 years African National Congress
6 Manmohan Singh being presented with an appreciation medal by the Executive Mayor, Mr. Amos Masondo at the inauguration of the permanent exhibition - Gandhi A Prisoner of Conscience, at Johannesburg, South Africa (cropped).jpg Amos Masondo
(born 1953)		23 May 201928 May 20245 years, 178 days African National Congress
7 Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane (cropped).jpg Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane
(born 1973)		15 June 2024Incumbent154 days African National Congress

Chairperson of the Committees

The chairperson of the committees is appointed by the members of the legislature. The position holds the following roles, including presiding over the meeting of the committee of chairpersons, approve the budget and expenditures of the committees and to preside over sittings of the House, when requested or when the chairperson and deputy chairperson are not available.

Chief Whips and Party Whips

Whips represent their individual parties' interests and ensure the discipline of their members. They also ensure that their parties function effectively. There are two Chief Whips who are official office bearers, the Chief Whip of the majority party and the Chief Whip of the largest opposition party. The smaller parties have Senior Whips assisted by a number of whips. The Chief Whips are formally appointed by the chairperson. The Chief Whip of the majority party is responsible for the detailed arrangement of the legislative business. [5]

Leader of the Opposition

The position is designated to the leader of the largest opposition party in the legislature. Cathlene Labuschagne of the Democratic Alliance has been serving as Leader of the Opposition since her election in September 2016.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "National Council of Provinces". Parliament of South Africa. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
  2. ↑ "STATISTICAL RELEASE" (PDF). 28 October 2023.
  3. ↑ Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 , ss. 73–77.
  4. ↑ NCOP PRESIDING OFFICERS. Retrieved on 28 December 2018.
  5. ↑ National Council of Provinces. Retrieved on 29 December 2018.
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