Premier of the Western Cape

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The Premier of the Western Cape is the head of government of the Western Cape province of South Africa. The current Premier of the Western Cape is Alan Winde, a member of the Democratic Alliance, who was elected in the 2019 election. He took office on 22 May 2019.[1][2][3]

Premier of the Western Cape
Incumbent
Alan Winde
since 22 May 2019
Western Cape Government
StylePremier
The Honourable
TypeHead of government
Member ofNational Council of Provinces
Member of the Executive Council
ResidenceLeeuwenhof
SeatCape Town
AppointerWestern Cape Provincial Parliament
Term lengthFive years, renewable once
Constituting instrumentConstitution of South Africa
Constitution of the Western Cape
Inaugural holderHernus Kriel
Formation7 May 1994
SalaryR2,3 million
WebsiteOfficial website

Functions

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In terms of the provincial constitution, the executive authority of the province is vested in the Premier. The Premier appoints the Provincial Cabinet made up of ten members of the provincial parliament; they are known as Provincial Ministers. The Premier has the ability to appoint and dismiss Provincial Ministers at his/her own discretion.

The Premier and the Provincial Cabinet are responsible for implementing provincial legislation, along with any national legislation assigned to the province. They set provincial policy and manage the departments of the provincial government; their actions are subject to the national constitution and the provincial constitution.

In order for an act of the provincial parliament to become law, the Premier must sign it. If he/she believes that the act is unconstitutional, it can be referred back to the provincial parliament for reconsideration. If the Premier and the provincial parliament cannot agree, the act must be referred to the Constitutional Court for a final decision.

The Premier is also ex officio a member of the National Council of Provinces, the upper house of Parliament, as one of the special delegates from the province.[4]

List

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No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party
Took office Left office Time in office
1   Hernus Kriel (1941–2015) 7 May 1994 11 May 1998 4 years, 4 days National Party
2   Gerald Morkel (1941–2018) 11 May 1998 12 November 2001 3 years, 185 days New National Party
  Cecil Herandien (acting) 12 November 2001 5 December 2001 23 days New National Party
3   Peter Marais (born 1948) 5 December 2001 3 June 2002 180 days New National Party
  Piet Meyer (acting) 3 June 2002 21 June 2002 18 days New National Party
4   Marthinus van Schalkwyk (born 1959) 21 June 2002 23 April 2004 1 year, 307 days New National Party
  Leonard Ramatlakane (acting) 23 April 2004 30 April 2004 7 days African National Congress
5   Ebrahim Rasool (born 1962) 30 April 2004 25 July 2008 4 years, 86 days African National Congress
6   Lynne Brown (interim) (born 1961) 25 July 2008 6 May 2009 285 days African National Congress
7   Helen Zille (born 1951) 6 May 2009 22 May 2019 10 years, 16 days Democratic Alliance
8   Alan Winde (born 1965) 22 May 2019 incumbent 5 years, 176 days Democratic Alliance

Election

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The election for the Western Cape Provincial Parliament is held every five years, simultaneously with the election of the National Assembly; the last such election occurred on 8 May 2019. At the first meeting of the provincial parliament after an election, the members choose the Premier from amongst themselves. The provincial parliament can force the Premier to resign by a motion of no confidence. If the Premiership becomes vacant (for whatever reason) the provincial parliament must choose 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 chosen to fill a vacancy the time until the next election does not count as a term.

The following table details the election results for the Premier on the first sitting of the Sixth Provincial Parliament held on 22 May 2019.

Candidate Votes %
Alan Winde (DA) 24 70.6%
Cameron Dugmore (ANC) 10 29.4%
Total 34 100%
Valid votes 34 85.0%
Spoilt ballots 6 15.0%
Total votes cast 40 100%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Winde elected Western Cape premier. Retrieved on 24 June 2019.
  2. ^ DA's Winde elected as new WC premier. Retrieved on 24 June 2019.
  3. ^ Winde elected Western Cape premier. Retrieved on 24 June 2019.
  4. ^ Constitution of South Africa
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