| Western Cape Provincial Parliament Wes-Kaapse Provinsiale Parlement iPalamente yePhondo leNtshona Kapa |
|
|---|---|
| 4th Parliament | |
| Type | |
| Type | Unicameral |
| Leadership | |
| Speaker | Shahid Esau, DA since 6 May 2009 |
| Deputy Speaker | Richard Majola, DA since 6 May 2009 |
| Structure | |
| Members | 42 |
| Political groups | Democratic Alliance (22) African National Congress (14) Congress of the People (3) Independent Democrats (2) African Christian Democratic Party (1) |
| Elections | |
| Voting system | Party-list proportional representation |
| Last election | 22 April 2009 |
| Meeting place | |
| 7 Wale Street, Cape Town 8000 | |
| Website | |
| http://www.wcpp.gov.za/ | |
| Western Cape |
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The Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP) is the legislature of the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is located in the Provincial Government Building at 7 Wale Street, Cape Town.
The Provincial Parliament, along with the other provincial legislatures of South Africa, exists by virtue of Chapter 6 of the Constitution of South Africa and Chapter 3 of the Constitution of the Western Cape. It is unicameral, and consists of 42 members elected by a system of party-list proportional representation.
The Western Cape is unique amongst the provinces of South Africa in calling its legislature the "Provincial Parliament" and the members Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). The other provinces use the terms "Provincial Legislature" and "Members of the Provincial Legislature".
The Fourth Provincial Parliament was elected on 22 April 2009 in South Africa's fourth democratic elections. A majority of the members belong to the Democratic Alliance.
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The Provincial Parliament is modelled on the Westminster system. The executive head of the provincial government, the Premier of the Western Cape, is elected by the Members of the Provincial Parliament from amongst themselves; conventionally the Premier will be the leader of the largest party in the parliament. The Premier then chooses the members of the Provincial Cabinet, who must also be MPPs. The Provincial Parliament also has the power to force the Premier and Cabinet to resign, by passing a motion of no confidence.[1]
The legislative power of the Provincial Parliament is restricted to certain fields enumerated in the national Constitution; in some of these fields the power is shared with the national Parliament. The fields on which the Provincial Parliament may legislate include health care, primary and secondary education, agriculture, transport, and land use planning. It also controls the budget of the provincial government departments.
Legislation may be introduced by any member, except for money bills, which may be introduced only by the Provincial Minister of Finance. Laws passed by the Provincial Parliament must be signed by the Premier before coming into effect. The Premier may refer a bill back to Parliament for reconsideration if she believes it is unconstitutional. If the Parliament re-passes it, then the Premier must either sign it or refer it to the Constitutional Court, which can make a final decision on its constitutionality.
| Party | Votes | % | +/− | Seats | +/− from last election[note 1] |
+/− from before this election[note 2] |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Alliance | 1,012,568 | 51.46 | +24.35 | 22 | +10 | +11 | |
| African National Congress | 620,918 | 31.55 | −13.70 | 14 | −5 | −13 | |
| Congress of the People[note 3] | 152,356 | 7.74 | +7.74 | 3 | +3 | +3 | |
| Independent Democrats | 92,116 | 4.68 | −3.16 | 2 | −1 | +1 | |
| African Christian Democratic Party | 28,995 | 1.47 | −1.97 | 1 | −1 | −1 | |
| United Democratic Movement | 14,013 | 0.71 | −1.04 | 0 | −1 | 0 | |
| Al Jama-ah[note 3] | 9,039 | 0.46 | +0.46 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Freedom Front Plus | 8,384 | 0.43 | −0.19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Pan Africanist Congress | 4,467 | 0.23 | −0.19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Africa Muslim Party | 4,333 | 0.22 | −0.48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Christian Democratic Alliance[note 4] | 3,987 | 0.20 | −0.47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| National Party[note 3] | 3,378 | 0.17 | +0.17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Cape Party[note 3] | 2,552 | 0.13 | +0.13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| National Alliance[note 5] | 1,996 | 0.10 | +0.10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| African People's Convention[note 5] | 1,778 | 0.09 | +0.09 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| United Christian Democratic Party | 1,552 | 0.08 | −0.15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Azanian People's Organisation | 1,291 | 0.07 | −0.03 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| United Independent Front[note 6] | 1,178 | 0.06 | +0.06 | 0 | 0 | −1 | |
| Inkatha Freedom Party | 1,158 | 0.06 | −0.08 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Peace and Justice Congress | 630 | 0.03 | −0.18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Universal Party | 599 | 0.03 | −0.02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| National Democratic Convention[note 6] | 463 | 0.02 | +0.02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 1,967,751 | 100.00 | 42 | ||||
| Spoilt votes | 20,026 | ||||||
Notes:
The presiding officer of the Provincial Parliament is the Speaker, assisted by a Deputy Speaker. As of 2009[update] the Speaker is Shahid Esau[3] and the Deputy Speaker is Richard Majola[4], both members of the Democratic Alliance.
Apart from being the executive head of the province, the Premier also leads the governing party or coalition in the Provincial Parliament. The leader of the largest party not in government is recognised as Leader of the Opposition. As of 2009[update] the Premier is Helen Zille of the Democratic Alliance, and the Leader of the Opposition is Lynne Brown of the African National Congress.
| Name | Entered Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willem Doman | 1994 | 2001 | NNP |
| Lynne Brown[5] | 2001 | 2004 | ANC |
| Shaun Byneveldt | 2004 | 2009 | ANC |
| Shahid Esau | 2009 | Present | DA |
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