The Northern Cape

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

of South Africa is governed in a

parliamentary system A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

in which the people elect the provincial legislature and the legislature, in turn, elects the Premier as head of the executive. The Premier leads an Executive Council consisting of members who oversee various executive departments. The structure of the provincial government is defined by chapter six of the

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 ...

Legislature

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 ...

, situated in Kimberley, is the

legislative branch A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as ...

of the provincial government. It is a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

legislature of 30 members, elected by a system of

party-list proportional representation Party-list proportional representation (list-PR) is a subset of proportional representation electoral systems in which multiple candidates are elected (e.g., elections to parliament) through their position on an electoral list. They can also be us ...

. An election is held every five years, conventionally at the same time as 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 ...

. After the election of 8 May 2019 there were eighteen members of the provincial legislature (MPLs) representing the

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

, eight representing the Democratic Alliance, three representing the Economic Freedom Fighters and one representing the

Freedom Front Plus The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus; af, Vryheidsfront Plus, ''VF Plus'') is a right-wing political party in South Africa that was formed (as the Freedom Front) in 1994. It is led by Pieter Groenewald. Its current stated policy positions include a ...

Executive

The Premier of the Northern Cape is the head of the provincial government, chosen by the members of the provincial parliament from amongst themselves. The Premier appoints Members of the Executive Council (MECs) to oversee the various departments of the provincial government. The Director-General is the non-political head of the provincial administration, while each department is led by a Head of Department. The current Premier 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 ...

of the

. Besides the Premier, the Executive Council consists of ten MECs overseeing eleven departments.

Departments

Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) is a department of the Government of South Africa created in June 2019 by the merger of the agriculture functions of the former Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fish ...

* Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs * Department of Economic Development and Tourism *

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

* Department of Environment and Nature Conservation *

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

* Provincial Treasury * Department of Roads and Public Works * Department of Social Development * Department of Sport, Arts and Culture * Department of Transport, Safety and Liaison

Judiciary

South Africa has a single national judiciary; there is no separate system of provincial courts. The

Northern Cape Division The Northern Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa (formerly named the Northern Cape High Court and the Northern Cape Provincial Division, and commonly known as the Kimberley High Court) is a superior court of law with general jurisdictio ...

of the

High Court of South Africa The High Court of South Africa is a superior court of law in South Africa. It is divided into nine provincial divisions, some of which sit in more than one location. Each High Court division has general jurisdiction over a defined geographical ...

in Kimberley 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 Judicial review is a process under which executive, legislative and administrative actions are subject to review by the judiciary. A court with authority for judicial review may invalidate laws, acts and governmental actions that are incompat ...

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 Kimberley. 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 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 ...

. The province is divided into 26 magisterial districts and 6 sub-districts, each of which is served by a district magistrate's court. There are a further 24 branch and periodical courts to serve 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 Northern 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.

Local government

As of 2016, the Northern Cape is divided into five district municipalities which are subdivided into twenty-six local municipalities. The municipalities are listed below. *

Frances Baard District Municipality Frances Baard (previously Diamantveld) is one of the 5 districts of Northern Cape province of South Africa. The seat of Frances Baard is Kimberley. The majority of its 324 814 people speak Setswana (2001 Census). The district code is DC9. Previ ...

Dikgatlong Local Municipality Dikgatlong Local Municipality is an administrative area in the Frances Baard District of the Northern Cape in South Africa. Dikgatlong is a Setswana name meaning "confluence", and refers to the place where the Harts and Vaal rivers flow into each ...

Magareng Local Municipality Magareng Local Municipality is an administrative area in the Frances Baard District of the Northern Cape in South Africa. Magareng is a Setswana name meaning "in the middle". The name reflects the geographic location of the municipality in relat ...

Phokwane Local Municipality Phokwane Municipality ( tn, Mmasepala wa Phokwane; af, Phokwane Munisipaliteit) is a local municipality within the Frances Baard District Municipality, in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The name means "small Billy goat" in Setswana. ...

Sol Plaatje Local Municipality The Sol Plaatje Local Municipality is a local municipality in the Frances Baard District Municipality district of the Northern Cape province, South Africa, named after Sol T. Plaatje. It includes the diamond mining city of Kimberley. Main places ...

John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality John Taolo Gaetsewe (formerly Kgalagadi) is one of the five districts of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The seat of the authority is Kuruman. The majority of its 176,899 people speak Setswana (2001 Census). The district code is DC45. ...

Ga-Segonyana Local Municipality Ga-Segonyana Local Municipality is an administrative area in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District of the Northern Cape in South Africa. Segonyana is the Setswana name of a spring, commonly known as Eye of Kuruman. Main places The 2001 census divid ...

Gamagara Local Municipality Gamagara Local Municipality is an administrative area in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District of the Northern Cape in South Africa. The name Gamogara is of Setswana origin. The municipality is named after a dry river which was in turn named after a ...

Joe Morolong Local Municipality Joe Morolong Local Municipality (formerly Moshaweng Local Municipality) is an administrative area in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality, John Taolo Gaetsewe District of the Northern Cape in South Africa. Moshaweng is a Setswana language ...

Namakwa District Municipality Namakwa is one of the 5 districts of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The seat of Namakwa is Springbok and the region is also known as Little Namaqualand. The majority of its 108,118 people speak Afrikaans (2001 Census). The distric ...

Hantam Local Municipality Hantam is an administrative area in the Namakwa District of Northern Cape in South Africa. Hatam is a Khoi name that means "mountains where the bulbs grow". The municipality is named after the Hantam Mountains found in the area. Main places Th ...

Kamiesberg Local Municipality Kamiesberg Local Municipality is in South Africa. Population In 2007 an estimated 12,117 persons lived in Kamiesberg; however, this estimate is very rough. The majority of Kamiesberg's people are coloured (mixed race). Kharkams village represen ...

Karoo Hoogland Local Municipality Karoo Hoogland is an administrative area in the Namakwa District of Northern Cape in South Africa. Hoogland an Afrikaans word meaning "highland" and Karoo is a Khoi word meaning "hard" or "dry". The name reflects the area which has dry, arid and ...

, Khai-Ma Local Municipality,

Nama Khoi Local Municipality Nama Khoi Municipality is a local municipality in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. It is administered from the town of Springbok. Main places The 2011 census divided the municipality into the following main places: Politics The m ...

, Richtersveld Local Municipality *

Pixley ka Seme District Municipality Pixley ka Seme is one of the five districts of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The seat of Pixley ka Seme is De Aar. The majority (77%) of its 186,351 people speak Afrikaans as first language (2011 Census). The district code is DC ...

Emthanjeni Local Municipality Emthanjeni Local Municipality is a local municipality in the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality district of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Emthanjeni is a Xhosa name meaning a "vein", symbolising the importance of an underground wa ...

Kareeberg Local Municipality Kareeberg Local Municipality is a local municipality in the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality district of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The name originates from a mountain range in the region, the Karee Mountains. Main places T ...

, Renosterberg Local Municipality,

Siyancuma Local Municipality Siyancuma Local Municipality is a local municipality in the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality district of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Main places The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places: Po ...

Siyathemba Local Municipality Siyathemba Local Municipality is a local municipality in the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality district of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Main places The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places: P ...

Thembelihle Local Municipality Thembelihle Local Municipality (formerly known as ''Oranje-Karoo Local Municipality'') is a local municipality in the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality district of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Thembelihle is a Xhosa name meaning ...

Ubuntu Local Municipality Ubuntu Local Municipality is a local municipality in the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Its seat is Victoria West; other towns in the municipality are Richmond, Loxton and two small railway v ...

Umsobomvu Local Municipality Umsobomvu Local Municipality is a local municipality in the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality district of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Main places The 2011 census divided the municipality into the following main places: Pol ...

ZF Mgcawu District Municipality The ZF Mgcawu District Municipality (known before 1 July 2013 as Siyanda) is one of the 5 districts of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The seat of ZF Mgcawu is Upington. The majority (76%) of its 236,783 people speak Afrikaans (2011 C ...

: !Kheis Local Municipality,

Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality is a local municipality of South Africa. It was established after the August 2016 local elections by merging Mier and //Khara Hais local municipalities. and named after the San politician Dawid Kruiper. Politic ...

, Kai !Garib Local Municipality, Kgatelopele Local Municipality,

Tsantsabane Local Municipality Tsantsabane Local Municipality is an administrative area in the ZF Mgcawu District Municipality of the Northern Cape in South Africa. Tsantsabane was the original name given to the town by the Batswana because of the presence of many shiny stones ...

References

Official website

Provincial legislature website
{{Northern Cape Province