The Premier of the Northern Cape is the

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, ...

of the Northern Cape province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. The current Premier of the Northern Cape is

Zamani Saul Zamani Saul (born 7 March 1972) is a South African politician who is the 5th and current Premier of the Northern Cape and a Member of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature. He has also been serving as the Provincial Chairperson of the Africa ...

, a member of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

, who was elected in the 2019 election. He took office on 22 May 2019.Meet SA's newly elected premiers
Retrieved on 25 June 2019.

Functions

In terms of the

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

, the executive authority of a province is vested in the Premier. The Premier appoints an Executive Council made up of nine members of the provincial legislature; they are called Members of the Executive Council (MECs). The MECs are effectively

ministers Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...

and the Executive Council a cabinet at the provincial level. The Premier has the ability to appoint and axe MECs at his/her own discretion. The Premier and the Executive Council are responsible for executing provincial legislation, along with any national legislation allocated to the province. They set provincial policy and administer the departments of the provincial government; their actions are subject to the national constitution. In order for an act of the provincial legislature to become law, the Premier must sign the legislation. The Premier can refer legislation back to the legislature for reconsideration if the Premier believes the act is unconstitutional. If the Premier and the legislature cannot agree, the act must be referred to the

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...

for a final decision. The Premier is also '' ex officio'' a member of the

National Council of Provinces The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) is the upper house of the Parliament of South Africa under the (post-apartheid) constitution which came into full effect in 1997. It replaced the former Senate, but is very similar to that body, and to ...

, the upper house of

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

, as one of the special delegates from the province.

Constitution of South Africa The Constitution of South Africa is the supreme law of the Republic of South Africa. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the republic, it sets out the rights and duties of its citizens, and defines the structure of the Gover ...

List of Premiers of the Northern Cape

Election

The election for the

Northern Cape Provincial Legislature The Northern Cape Provincial Legislature is the legislature of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It is a unicameral body of 30 members elected every five years. The current legislature was elected on 8 May 2019 and has an African Natio ...

is held every five years, simultaneously with the election of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

; the last such election occurred on 8 May 2019. At the first meeting of the provincial legislature after an election, the members choose the Premier from amongst themselves. The provincial legislature can force the Premier to resign by passing a

motion of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or m ...

. If the Premiership becomes vacant (for whatever reason) the provincial legislature must elect a new Premier to serve out the period until the next election. One person cannot have served more than two five-year terms as Premier; however, when a Premier is selected to fill a vacancy the time until the next election does not count as a term.

References

External links

Office of the Premier
{{Northern Cape province * Government of the Northern Cape

Functions

List of Premiers of the Northern Cape

Election

See also

References

External links