Free State Provincial Legislature
The Free State Provincial Legislature is the primary legislative body of the South African province of Free State. It is unicameral in its composition, and elects the premier and the executive council from among the members of the leading party or coalition in the parliament.
Free State Provincial Legislature | |
|---|---|
| 6th Legislature | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Speaker | |
Deputy Speaker | |
Premier | |
Leader of the Opposition | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 30 |
 | |
Political groups | Government
Official Opposition
Other parties |
| Elections | |
| Party-list proportional representation | |
Last election | 8 May 2019 |
| Meeting place | |
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| Legislative Chamber, Vierde Raadsaal, Bloemfontein | |
| Website | |
| http://www.fsl.gov.za/ | |
Powers
The Free State Provincial Legislature chooses the Premier of Free State, the head of the Free State's provincial executive. The legislature can force the Premier to resign by passing a motion of no confidence. Although the Executive Council is chosen by the Premier, the legislature may pass a motion of no confidence to force the Premier to change the composition of the Council. The legislature also appoints Free State'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 has the power to pass legislation in numerous fields specified in the national constitution; in some fields, the legislative power is shared with the national parliament, while in other fields it is solely reserved to the Free State alone. The fields include health, education (except universities), agriculture, housing, environmental protection, and development planning.
The legislature oversees the administration of the Free State 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 manages the finances of the provincial government by way of the appropriation bills which determine the Free State's provincial budget.
Election
The provincial legislature consists of 30 members, who are elected through a system of party list proportional representation with closed lists. The most recent election was held on 8 May 2019. The following table summarises the results.
| Party | Votes | Vote % | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African National Congress | 541,535 | 61.14 | 19 | |
| Democratic Alliance | 155,694 | 17.58 | 6 | |
| Economic Freedom Fighters | 111,427 | 12.58 | 4 | |
| Freedom Front Plus | 35,031 | 3.96 | 1 | |
| Other parties | 41,990 | 4.74 | 0 | |
| Total | 885,677 | 100.0 | 30 | |
The following table shows the composition of the provincial parliament after past elections.
| Event | ACDP | ANC | COPE | DP/DA | EFF | FF/FF+ | NP/NNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 election | 0 | 24 | — | — | — | 2 | 4 |
| 1999 election | 0 | 25 | — | 2 | — | 1 | 2 |
| 2004 election | 1 | 25 | — | 3 | — | 1 | 0 |
| 2009 election | 0 | 22 | 4 | 3 | — | 1 | — |
| 2014 election | 0 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 2019 election | 0 | 19 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 1 | — |
Officers
The following people have served as Speaker of the Free State Provincial Legislature:
| Name | Entered Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motlalepule Chambaku[5] | 1994 | 1998 | ANC |
| Joel Mafereka[6] | 1998 | 2001 | ANC |
| Jani Mohapi | 2001 | 2002 | ANC |
| Mxolisi Dukwana[7] | 2002 | 2008 | ANC |
| Sisi Mabe | 2014 | 2014 | ANC |
| Motlagomang Qabathe | 2015 | 2019 | ANC |
| Zanele Sifuba | 2019 | Incumbent | ANC |
Members
References
- New FS Legislature speaker unafraid to make changes to systems where necessary. Retrieved on 23 May 2019.
- Call for gender representation when Premier announces her cabinet. Retrieved on 23 May 2019.
- Sisi Ntombela re-elected as Free State premier
- Roy Jankielsohn. Retrieved on 23 May 2019.
- Executive Summary: Provincial 10 Year Review Implementation Report
- News - South Africa: ANC Renegades To be Disciplined After Poll
- Who's Who of South Africa