Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature

Mpumalanga Provinsiale Wetgewer (Afrikaans)
IsiShayamthetho Sifundazwe saseMpumalanga (Zulu)
6th Legislature
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Makhosazane Masilela, ANC
since 2 March 2021[1]
Deputy Speaker
Jeaneth Thabethe, ANC
since 6 May 2022[2]
Premier
Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, ANC
since 20 March 2018
Leader of the Opposition
Collen Sedibe, EFF
since 22 May 2019[3]
Structure
Seats30
Political groups
Government
  •   ANC (22)

Official Opposition

Other parties

Elections
Party-list proportional representation
Last election
8 May 2019
Next election
2024
Website
http://www.mpuleg.gov.za/

The Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature (MPL), previously known as the Eastern Transvaal Legislature, is the primary legislative body of the South African province of Mpumalanga.[4]

The First Legislature was inaugurated in May 1994 as the Eastern Transvaal Legislature. It was renamed in 1995.

The Provincial Legislature, along with the other provincial legislatures of South Africa, exists by virtue of Chapter 6 of the Constitution of South Africa. It is unicameral, and consists of 30 members elected by a system of party-list proportional representation.

The Sixth Provincial Legislature was elected on 8 May 2019 in South Africa's 2019 general elections. A majority of the members belong to the African National Congress.

Powers

The Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature elects the Premier of Mpumalanga. The legislature can force the Premier to resign by passing a motion of no confidence. Although the Executive Council is appointed by the Premier of Mpumalanga, the legislature may pass a motion of no confidence to compel the Premier to reorient the Council. The legislature also appoints Mpumalanga'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 various fields mentioned in the national constitution; in some fields the legislative power is shared with the national parliament, while in others it is reserved to Mpumalanga alone. The fields include such matters as health, education, agriculture, housing, environmental protection, and development planning.

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 manages the fiscal matters of the provincial government by way of the appropriation bills which determine the provincial budget.

Election

The Provincial Legislature consists of 30 members, who are elected through a system of party list proportional representation with closed lists. In other words, each voter casts a vote for one political party, and seats in the legislature are allocated to the parties in proportion to the number of votes received. The seats are then filled by members in accordance with lists submitted by the parties before the election.

The Legislature is elected for a term of five years unless it is dissolved early. This may occur if the legislature votes to dissolve and it is at least three years since the last election, or if the Premiership falls vacant and the legislature fails to elect a new Premier within ninety days. By convention, all nine provincial legislatures and the National Assembly are elected on the same day.

The most recent election was held on 8 May 2019. The following table summarises the results.

PartyVotesVote %Seats
African National Congress858,58970.5822
Economic Freedom Fighters155,57312.794
Democratic Alliance118,9159.773
FF Plus29,5122.431
Other parties53,9334.430
Total1,216,522100.030

The following table shows the composition of the provincial parliament after past elections.

Event ANC BRA COPE DP/DA EFF FF/FF+ NP/NNP UDM
1994 election 25——0—230
1999 election 26——1—111
2004 election 27——2—100
2009 election 27—12—0—0
2014 election 2410320—0
2019 election 2200341—0

Presiding Officers

Each of the nine provincial legislatures has Presiding Officers. The Presiding Officers can be the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Chairperson of Committees and the Deputy Chairperson of Committees. The following people have served as the Speaker:

Name Entered / left office Party
Elias Nicodemus “Mbalekelwa” Ginindza 1994 – 1998 ANC
Sipho William Lubisi 1998 – 2004 ANC
Yvonne Nkwenkwezi “Pinky” Phosa 2004 – 2009 ANC
Jackson Mphikwa Mthembu 2009 ANC
Sipho William Lubisi 2009 – 2014 ANC
Blessing Thandi Shongwe 2014 – 2018 ANC
Violet Sizani Siwela 2018 – 2019 ANC
Busi Shiba 2019 – 2021 ANC
Makhosazane Masilela 2021 – Present ANC

Members

References

  1. ↑ "New Speaker and Deputy Speaker ready to rule over the provincial legislature". Lowvelder. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  2. ↑ @MPLegislature (May 6, 2022). "Congratulations to the new Deputy Speaker of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature, Hon. Jeaneth Lizzy Thabethe" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 July 2022 – via Twitter.
  3. ↑ #IMadeMyMark – Party members have their say. Retrieved on 24 May 2019.
  4. ↑ Legislature
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