Western Cape' Government
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Logo of the Western Cape government
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| Polity type | Province |
| Part of | South Africa |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Western Cape |
| Legislative branch | |
| Name | Provincial Parliament |
| Type | Unicameral |
| Meeting place | 7 Wale Street, Cape Town |
| Presiding officer | Daylin Mitchell, Speaker |
| Executive branch | |
| Head of Government | |
| Title | Premier |
| Currently | Alan Winde |
| Appointer | Provincial Parliament |
The Western Cape province of South Africa is governed in a parliamentary system in which the people elect the Provincial Parliament, and the parliament elects the Premier as head of the executive. The Premier leads a cabinet of provincial ministers overseeing various executive departments. The provincial government is subject to the Constitution of the Western Cape and the Constitution of South Africa, which together form the supreme law of the province.
The Western Cape Provincial Parliament, situated in Cape Town, is the legislative branch of the provincial government. The parliament is a unicameral legislature of 42 members, elected by a system of party-list proportional representation. An election is held every five years, conventionally at the same time as the election of the National Assembly. The most recent election occurred in 2024.
The premier of the Western Cape is the head of the provincial government; chosen by the members of the provincial parliament from amongst themselves. The premier chooses a cabinet of ministers to oversee the various departments of the provincial government. The director-general is the non-political head of the provincial administration, while each government department is led by a head of department.
The current premier is Alan Winde of the Democratic Alliance and the director-general is Harry Malila.[1] Besides the premier, the provincial cabinet consists of ten ministers overseeing thirteen departments.[2]
| Portfolio | MEC |
|---|---|
| Premier | Alan Winde |
| Finance and Economic Opportunities | Mireille Wenger |
| Community Safety and Police Oversight | Reagen Allen |
| Education | David Maynier |
| Health and Wellness | Nomafrench Mbombo |
| Infrastructure | Tertuis Simmers |
| Social Development | Sharna Fernandez |
| Mobility | Ricardo Mackenzie |
| Agriculture | Ivan Meyer |
| Cultural Affairs and Sport | Anroux Marais |
| Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning | Anton Bredell |
These are the thirteen departments in the Western Cape Government:
South Africa has a single national judiciary; there is no separate system of provincial courts. The Western Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa has jurisdiction over all cases arising in the province, but generally handles only the most serious or high-profile criminal trials, high-value civil trials, cases involving judicial review of legislation or executive actions, and appeals from the magistrates' courts. Judges of the High Court periodically go on circuit to hear cases in parts of the province distant from Cape Town. Appeals from the High Court are to the national Supreme Court of Appeal and ultimately (if a constitutional matter is involved) to the Constitutional Court.
The province is divided into 42 magisterial districts and 2 sub-districts, each of which is served by a district magistrate's court. There are a further 12 branch courts and 26 periodical courts to serve densely populated or geographically dispersed districts. These district courts have jurisdiction over all criminal cases except murder, rape and treason and can impose a fine of up to R100,000 or a prison sentence of up to three years; and they have jurisdiction over civil cases where the value of the claim is less than R100,000. The regional magistrate's court for the Western Cape, which sits at multiple locations in the province, has jurisdiction over all criminal cases except treason and can impose a fine of up to R300,000 or a prison sentence of up to fifteen years (or life in some circumstances). The regional court also has jurisdiction over civil cases where the value of the claim is less than R300,000, and divorce and family law cases.
The City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality is the local council for the Cape Town metropolitan area, which contains two-thirds of the province's population. The rest of the province is divided into five district municipalities which are subdivided into twenty-four local municipalities. The municipalities are listed below.
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Province of the Western Cape
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