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 of the Free State, who in turn selects the members of the Executive Council of the Free State.

Free State Provincial Legislature

Vrystaatse Provinsiale Wetgewer (Afrikaans)
Kopano ea Molao ea Lekhotla la Free State (Sotho)
6th Legislature
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Speaker
Zanele Sifuba, ANC
since 22 May 2019[1]
Deputy Speaker
Lucy Mapena, ANC
since 22 May 2019[2]
Mxolisi Dukwana, ANC
since 24 February 2023
Leader of the Opposition
Roy Jankielsohn, DA
since 21 May 2014[3]
Structure
Seats30
Political groups
Government
  •   ANC (19)

Official Opposition

Other parties

Elections
Party-list proportional representation
Last election
8 May 2019
Meeting place
Legislative Chamber, Vierde Raadsaal, Bloemfontein
Website
Free State Legislature

Powers

The Free State Provincial Legislature chooses the Premier of the 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, including include health, education (except universities), agriculture, housing, environmental protection, and development planning. In some fields, legislative power is shared with the national parliament, while in other fields it is reserved to the Free State alone.

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.

PartyVotesVote %Seats
African National Congress541,53561.1419
Democratic Alliance155,69417.586
Economic Freedom Fighters111,42712.584
FF Plus35,0313.961
Other parties41,9904.740
Total885,677100.030

The following table shows the composition of the provincial parliament after past elections. The African National Congress has held a majority in the legislature since 1994, while the Democratic Alliance has been the official opposition since 2014, when it displaced the Congress of the People.

Party 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019
African Christian Democratic Party 001000
African National Congress 242525222219
Congress of the People 4 0 0
Democratic Alliance / Democratic Party 023356
Economic Freedom Fighters 24
Freedom Front Plus / Freedom Front 211111
New National Party / National Party 420
Total 30

Officers

The following people have served as Speaker of the Free State Provincial Legislature.

Name Term start Term end Party
Motlalepula Chabaku[4] 1994 1998 ANC
Joel Mafereka 1998 2001 ANC
Jani Mohapi 2001 2002 ANC
Mxolisi Dukwana 2002 2008 ANC
Ouma Tsopo 2013 2014 ANC
Sisi Mabe 2014 2014 ANC
Mamiki Qabathe 2015 2019 ANC
Zanele Sifuba 2019 Incumbent ANC

Members

References

  1. New FS Legislature speaker unafraid to make changes to systems where necessary. Retrieved on 23 May 2019.
  2. Call for gender representation when Premier announces her cabinet. Retrieved on 23 May 2019.
  3. Roy Jankielsohn. Retrieved on 23 May 2019.
  4. Executive Summary: Provincial 10 Year Review Implementation Report
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