Provincial legislature (South Africa)
In
History
The original four provinces of South Africa (the provinces that existed from 1910 to 1994) had
The current provincial legislatures were established by the 1993
Election
The Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPLs) are elected by
Powers
The legislature has the power to pass legislation in various fields enumerated 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 such matters as health, education (except universities), agriculture, housing, environmental protection, and development planning. In fields outside the power of a provincial legislature, it may recommend legislation to the National Assembly.
A provincial legislature may also enact a constitution for that province, if two-thirds of the members vote in favour. The powers of the provincial legislature are bound only by the national constitution and the provincial constitution (if one exists).
The provincial legislature of a province chooses the Premier, the head of the provincial executive. The legislature can force the Premier to resign by passing a motion of no confidence, or remove them for misconduct or inability. Although the Executive Council (cabinet) is chosen by the Premier, the legislature may pass a motion of no confidence to force the Premier to reconstitute the Council. A provincial legislature also appoints that province's delegates to the National Council of Provinces, allocating delegates to parties in proportion to the number of seats each party holds in the legislature.
The legislature oversees the administration of the provincial government, and the Premier and the members of the Executive Council are required to report to the legislature on the performance of their responsibilities. The legislature also controls the finances of the provincial government by way of the appropriation bills which determine the provincial budget. The provincial legislature plays an important role in the provincial sphere.
List of provincial legislatures
This list shows nine provincial legislatures and their party composition after the
Legislature | Seats | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ANC | DA | MK
|
EFF | IFP | PA | VF+ | ActionSA | UDM | ACDP | ATM | ACT | RISE | BOSA | NFP | UAT | NCC | Al Jama-ah | GOOD | Total | |
Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature | 45 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72 |
Free State Legislature
|
16 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
Gauteng Provincial Legislature | 28 | 22 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80 |
KwaZulu-Natal Legislature | 14 | 11 | 37 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80 |
Limpopo Legislature
|
48 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 64 |
Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature | 27 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 |
North West Provincial Legislature | 23 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 |
Northern Cape Provincial Legislature | 15 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
Western Cape Provincial Parliament | 8 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 42 |
Totals | 224 | 97 | 58 | 54 | 16 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 487 |
References
- ^ Chapter 6: Provinces, Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.
- ^ "Seat calculation - National Assembly and Provincial Legislatures" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ Schedule 1 to the Electoral Act, 1998, as amended