View source for National Council of Provinces

{{Short description|Upper house of the Parliament of South Africa}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox legislature
| background_color = Green
| name           = National Council of Provinces
{{collapsible list
  |titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;padding-left:2.5em;font-size:85%;<!--size of [show]/[hide] link-->
  |liststyle = text-align:center;white-space:nowrap;
  | {{small|{{nobold|''10 other official names:''}}}}
  | {{native name|af|{{small|Nasionale Raad van Provinsies}}|fontsize=68%}}
  | {{native name|nr|{{small|umKhandlu weNarha oNgamele iimFunda}}|fontsize=68%}}
  | {{native name|xh|{{small|IBhunga leSizwe lamaPhondo}}|fontsize=68%}}
  | {{native name|zu|{{small|uMkhandlu kaZwelonke weziFundazwe}}|fontsize=68%}}
  | {{native name|ss|{{small|uMkhandlu waVelonkhe wetiFundza}}|fontsize=68%}}
  | {{native name|nso|{{small|Lekgotla la Bosetšhaba la Diprofense}}|fontsize=68%}}
  | {{native name|st|{{small|Lekgotla la Naha la Diprofense}}|fontsize=68%}}
  | {{native name|tn|{{small|Lekgotla la Bosetšhaba la Diporofense}}|fontsize=68%}}
  | {{native name|ts|{{small|Huvo ya Rixaka ya Swifundzhankulu}}|fontsize=68%}}
  | {{native name|ve|{{small|Khoro ya Lushaka ya Mavunḓu}}|fontsize=68%}}
 }}
| legislature    = [[28th South African Parliament|28th Parliament]]
| coa_pic        = 
| coa_caption    = Logo of the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa
| coa_res        = 150px
| house_type     = Upper house
| body           = Parliament of South Africa
| foundation     = 1997
| leader1_type   = [[National Council of Provinces#Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson|Chairperson]]
| leader1        = [[Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane]]
| party1         = [[African National Congress|ANC]]
| election1      = 15 June 2024
| leader2_type   = Deputy Chairperson
| leader2        = [[Les Govender]] 
| party2         =[[Inkatha Freedom Party|IFP]] 
| election2      =9 July 2024 
| leader3_type   = Chief Whip 
| leader3        = [[Kenny Mmoiemang]]
| party3         = ANC
| election3      = 15 June 2024
| leader4_type   = [[Leader of the Opposition]]
| leader4        = 
| party4         = 
| election4      = 
| structure1     = South Africa NCOP 2024.svg
| structure1_res = 300px
| structure2     = 
| structure2_res = 
| political_groups1= * {{Color box|#33a02c|border=darkgray}}{{Color box|#b2df8a|border=darkgray}} [[African National Congress|ANC]] (24 + 19)
* {{Color box|#1f78b4|border=darkgray}}{{Color box|#a6cee3|border=darkgray}} [[Democratic Alliance (South Africa)|DA]] (12 + 9)
* {{Color box|#e31a1c|border=darkgray}}{{Color box|#fb9a99|border=darkgray}} [[Economic Freedom Fighters|EFF]] (8 + 2)
* {{Color box|#4CBB17|border=darkgray}}{{Color box|#B2F294|border=darkgray}} [[uMkhonto weSizwe (political party)|MK]] (5 + 4)
* {{Color box|#EC8713|border=darkgray}} [[Freedom Front Plus|VF+]] (2 + 0)
* {{Color box|#FF0000|border=darkgray}}{{Color box|#FF9999|border=darkgray}} [[Inkatha Freedom Party|IFP]] (1 + 1)
* {{Color box|#556B2F|border=darkgray}}{{Color box|#BFD49C|border=darkgray}} [[Patriotic Alliance|PA]] (1 + 1)
* {{Color box|#FFDE01|border=darkgray}} [[United Democratic Movement|UDM]] (1 + 0)
*  {{Color box|#ADEBAD|border=darkgray}} [[ActionSA]] (0 + 1)
| members        = 90 (54 permanent, 36 special)
| last_election1 = [[2024 South African general election#National Council of Provinces|13 and 14 June 2024]]
|next_election1=2029| session_room   = National Council of Provinces of South Africa.jpg
| session_res    =
| meeting_place  = NCOP Chamber, [[Houses of Parliament, Cape Town|Houses of Parliament]], Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
| website        = [https://www.parliament.gov.za/national-council-provinces 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 of South Africa|constitution]] which came into full effect in 1997. It replaced the former [[Senate of South Africa#1994–1997|Senate]], but is very similar to that body, and to many other [[upper house]]s of legislatures throughout the world, in that its purpose is to represent the governments of the [[provinces of South Africa|provinces]], rather than directly representing the people.<ref name="ncop-web">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.gov.za/live/content.php?Category_ID=27 |title=National Council of Provinces |publisher=Parliament of South Africa |access-date=3 December 2010 |archive-date=19 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119091735/http://www.parliament.gov.za/live/content.php?Category_ID=27 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Composition==
{{Politics of South Africa}}

The NCOP consists of ninety delegates, ten delegates for each of the nine provinces regardless of the population of the province. Each province is equally represented in the NCOP.

A provincial delegation is composed of six permanent delegates and four special delegates. The party representation in the delegation must proportionally reflect the party representation in the provincial legislature, based on a formula included in the [[Constitution of South Africa]].

The permanent delegates are selected by the nine provincial legislatures. The four special delegates include the [[Premier (South Africa)|Premier]] of the province and three other delegates. They are nominated by each province from the members of the provincial legislature and are contingent on the subject matter being considered by the NCOP. The premier leads the province's delegation in the NCOP, but they can choose any of the other delegates to head the delegation in their absence.

The [[South African Local Government Association]] (SALGA) is also represented in the NCOP. SALGA has 10 delegates who may partake in the debates and other activities, but they do not vote.

===Current composition===
After the [[2024 South African general election|elections of 29 May 2024]], the new provincial legislatures met on 13 and 14 June 2024 to elect NCOP delegations. The first sitting of the NCOP took place on 15 June 2024. The delegations elected are described in the following table.
<onlyinclude>
{| class=wikitable  style=text-align:right
!colspan=2 rowspan=2|Party
!rowspan=2|Delegate type
!colspan="9" style="text-align:center"|Province
!colspan=2 rowspan=2|''Total''
|-
![[Eastern Cape|EC]]
![[Free State (province)|FS]]
![[Gauteng|G]]
![[KwaZulu-Natal|KZN]]
![[Limpopo|L]]
![[Mpumalanga|M]]
![[North West (South African province)|NW]]
![[Northern Cape|NC]]
![[Western Cape|WC]]
|-
|bgcolor={{party color|African National Congress}} rowspan=2|
|align=left rowspan=2|[[African National Congress]]
|align=left|Permanent
|3
|3
|2
|1
|4
|3
|4
|3
|1
|''24''
|rowspan=2|43
|-
|align=left|Special
|3
|2
|2
|1
|4
|2
|2
|2
|1
|''19''
|-
|bgcolor={{party color|Democratic Alliance (South Africa)}} rowspan=2|
|align=left rowspan=2|[[Democratic Alliance (South Africa)|Democratic Alliance]]
|align=left|Permanent
|1
|1
|2
|1
|1
|1
|1
|1
|3
|''12''
|rowspan=2|20
|-
|align=left|Special
|1
|1
|1
|
|
|
|1
|1
|3
|''8''
|-
| bgcolor="{{party color|Economic Freedom Fighters}}" rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" align="left" |[[Economic Freedom Fighters]]
| align="left" |Permanent
|1
|1
|1
|
|1
|1
|1
|1
|1
|''8''
| rowspan="2" |10
|-
| align="left" |Special
|
|
|
|
|
|1
|1
|
|
|''2''
|-
|bgcolor={{party color|uMkhonto we Sizwe (political party)}} rowspan=2|
|align=left rowspan=2|[[UMkhonto weSizwe (political party)|UMkhonto WeSizwe]]
|align=left|Permanent      
|
|
|1
|3
|
|1
|
|
|
|''5''
| rowspan="2" |9
|-
|align=left|Special         
|
|1
|
|2
|
|1
|
|
|
|''4''
|-
| bgcolor="{{party color|Freedom Front Plus}}" |
| align="left" |[[Freedom Front Plus]]
| align="left" |Permanent
|
|1
|
|
|
|
|
|1
|
|''2''
|2
|-
| bgcolor="{{party color|Inkatha Freedom Party}}" rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" align="left" |[[Inkatha Freedom Party]]
| align="left" |Permanent
|
|
|
|1
|
|
|
|
|
|''1''
| rowspan="2" |2
|-
| align="left" |Special
|
|
|
|1
|
|
|
|
|
|''1''
|-
| bgcolor="{{party color|Patriotic Alliance}}" rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" align="left" |[[Patriotic Alliance]]
| align="left" |Permanent      
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|1
|''1''
| rowspan="2" |2
|-
| align="left" |Special         
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|1
|
|''1''
|-
| bgcolor="{{party color|United Democratic Movement}}" |
| align="left" |[[United Democratic Movement]]
| align="left" |Permanent  
|1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|''1''
|1
|-
| bgcolor="{{party color|ActionSA}}" |
| align="left" |[[ActionSA]]
| align="left" |Special
|
|
|1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|''1''
|1
|-
!colspan="3" style="text-align:left"|Total
!10
!10
!10
!10
!10
!10
!10
!10
!10
!colspan=2|''90''
|}
</onlyinclude>

===Population per delegate===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Province !! 2022 census population<ref>{{cite web |url=https://census.statssa.gov.za/assets/documents/2022/P03014_Census_2022_Statistical_Release.pdf |title=STATISTICAL RELEASE |last= |first= |date=2023-10-28 |website= |publisher= |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>!! Population per delegate
|-
|Eastern Cape || 7,230,204 || 723,020.4
|-
|Free State || 2,964,412 || 296,441.2
|-
| Gauteng || 15,099,422 || 1,509,942.2
|-
| KwaZulu-Natal || 12,423,907 || 1,242,390.7
|-
| Limpopo || 6,572,720 || 657,272.0
|-
| Mpumalanga || 5,143,324 || 514,332.4
|-
| North West || 3,804,548 || 380,454.8
|-
| Northern Cape  || 1,355,946 || 135,594.6
|-
| Western Cape || 7,433,019 || 743,301.9
|-
| South Africa || 62,027,503 || 689,194.5
|}

==Role in the legislative process==

The NCOP may consider, amend, propose amendments to, or reject the legislation. It must consider all national [[bill (proposed law)|bills]], and also has the power to initiate legislation in the functional areas where Parliament and the provincial legislatures have concurrent legislative power.<ref name="ncop-web" />

The NCOP has four decision-making mechanisms depending on the type of bill:<ref name="const-nlp">''[[Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996]]'', [[s:Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996/Chapter 4#NLP|ss. 73–77]].</ref>
*Section 74 bills; they may not deal with any matters other than constitutional amendments and matters related to the amendments. A bill that amends section 1 of the constitution (which defines South Africa as a [[constitutional democracy|constitutional democratic]] republic), or amends the [[Chapter 2 of the Constitution of South Africa|Bill of Rights]], or amends any constitutional provision affecting the NCOP itself, provincial boundaries or powers, or other specifically provincial matters, must be passed by the NCOP. Each delegation has one vote, and six of the nine delegations must approve the bill for it to pass. Other constitutional amendments do not have to be passed by the NCOP, but they must be debated publicly in the NCOP.
*Section 75 Bills; These bills are managed with regard to the process specified in section 75 of the Constitution. When voting on these Bills, delegates vote individually. The Bill is approved when a simple majority of delegates vote for the Bill.
*Section 76 Bills; Bills that concern the provinces are mainly those that correlate with areas of combined national and provincial legislative powers. These Bills are dealt with in the provision of the procedure in section 76 of the Constitution. When voting on these bills, the nine provincial delegations vote in line with the instruction communicated to them by their respective provincial legislatures. Each delegation has one vote. The Bill is approved if a majority of delegations vote for the Bill.
* Section 77 Bills; These are Bills which cover the appropriation of money, the enactment of national taxes, levies, duties or surcharges. They are handled with reference to the process delineated in section 77 of the Constitution. Delegates vote individually. The Bill is accepted when the majority of delegates vote to approve it.

==Office bearers==
===Chairperson and deputy chairperson===
The office of [[President of the Senate of South Africa|President of the Senate]] was succeeded by the office of chairperson of the National Council of Provinces in 1997. The inaugural holder of the position was [[Mosiuoa Lekota]]. He served as chairperson from 1997 to 1999. The chairperson is elected from the permanent delegates for a five-year term. The election of the chairperson is presided over by the Chief Justice of South Africa. The Chief Justice can, however, designate another judge to preside. The chairperson, in turn, presides over the other elections that takes place in the chamber. The legislative body also elects a permanent deputy chairperson. A second deputy chairperson is elected for a one-year term. The position rotates between the nine provinces, enabling the provinces to have its members elected second deputy chairpersos.,

The chairperson chairs all the sittings of the National Council of the Provinces. If the chairperson is not present at the sittings, the deputy chairperson or  House Chairpersons can preside over the sitting of the chamber.<ref>[https://www.parliament.gov.za/ncop-presiding-officers NCOP PRESIDING OFFICERS]. Retrieved on 28 December 2018.</ref>

The current chairperson is [[Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane]] who took office on 15 June 2024. The following people have served as chairperson of the NCOP:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan=2|{{Abbr|No.|Number}}
! rowspan=2 style="width:80px;"| Portrait
! rowspan=2|Name<br />{{small|(Birth–Death)}}
! colspan=3|Term of office
! rowspan=2|Political party
|-
! Took office
! Left office
! Time in office
|-
! style="background:{{party color|African National Congress}}; color:white;"| 1
| [[File:Mosiuoa Lekota, 000215-D-9880W-112 detail.jpg|80px]]
| [[Mosiuoa Lekota]]<br />{{small|(born 1948)}}
| 6 February 1997
| 21 June 1999
| {{Age in years and days|1997|2|6|1999|6|21}}
| [[African National Congress]]
|-
! style="background:{{party color|African National Congress}}; color:white;"| 2
| [[File:Naledi Pandor 2012.jpg|80px]]
| [[Naledi Pandor]]<br />{{small|(born 1953)}}
| 21 June 1999
| 4 May 2004
| {{Age in years and days|1999|6|21|2004|5|4}}
| [[African National Congress]]
|-
! style="background:{{party color|African National Congress}}; color:white;"| 3
| [[File:No image.png|80px]]
| [[Joyce Kgoali]]<br />{{small|(1950–2004)}}
| 4 May 2004
| 21 November 2004<br />{{small|(Died in office)}}
| {{Age in years and days|2004|5|4|2004|11|21}}
| [[African National Congress]]
|-
! style="background:{{party color|African National Congress}}; color:white;"| 4
| [[File:Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu.jpg|80px]]
| [[M. J. Mahlangu|Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu]]<br />{{small|(1952–2025)}}
| 17 January 2005<br />{{small|Acting since<br>21 November 2004}}
| 22 May 2014
| {{Age in years and days|2005|1|17|2014|5|22}}
| [[African National Congress]]
|-
! style="background:{{party color|African National Congress}}; color:white;"| 5
| [[File:Spotkanie premier Beaty Szydło z Thandi Modise (cropped).jpg|80px]]
| [[Thandi Modise]]<br />{{small|(born 1959)}}
| 22 May 2014
| 22 May 2019
| {{Age in years|2014|5|22|2019|5|22}} years
| [[African National Congress]]
|-
! style="background:{{party color|African National Congress}}; color:white;"| 6
| [[File:Manmohan Singh being presented with an appreciation medal by the Executive Mayor, Mr. Amos Masondo at the inauguration of the permanent exhibition - Gandhi A Prisoner of Conscience, at Johannesburg, South Africa (cropped).jpg|80px]]
| [[Amos Masondo]]<br />{{small|(born 1953)}}
| 23 May 2019
| 28 May 2024
| {{Age in years and days|2019|5|23|2024|5|28}}
| [[African National Congress]]
|-
! style="background:{{party color|African National Congress}}; color:white;"| 7
| [[File:Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane (cropped).jpg|80px]]
| [[Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane]]<br />{{small|(born 1973)}}
| 15 June 2024
| Incumbent
| {{Age in years and days|2024|06|15}}
| [[African National Congress]]
|}

====Timeline====
{{#tag:timeline|
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Define $today = {{#time:d/m/Y}}

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  pos:(20,38) textcolor:black fontsize:M
  text:"Political party:"

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 bar:Pandor
 bar:Kgoali
 bar:Mahlangu
 bar:Modise
 bar:Masondo
 bar:Mtsweni-Tsipane

PlotData =
  width:5 align:left fontsize:9 shift:(5,-4) anchor:till

 bar:Lekota
  from: 06/02/1997 till: 21/06/1999 color:anc text:"[[Mosiuoa Lekota]]"
 bar:Pandor
  from: 21/06/1999 till: 04/05/2004 color:anc text:"[[Naledi Pandor]]"
 bar:Kgoali
  from: 04/05/2004 till: 21/11/2004 color:anc text:"[[Joyce Kgoali]]"
 bar:Mahlangu
  from: 21/11/2004 till: 22/05/2014 color:anc text:"[[M. J. Mahlangu|Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu]]"
 bar:Modise
  from: 22/05/2014 till: 22/05/2019 color:anc text:"[[Thandi Modise]]"
 bar:Masondo
  from: 23/05/2019 till: 28/05/2024 color:anc text:"[[Amos Masondo]]"
 bar:Mtsweni-Tsipane
  from: 15/06/2024 till: $today     color:anc text:"[[Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane]]"

}}

===Chairperson of the Committees===
The chairperson of the committees is appointed by the members of the legislature. The position holds the following roles, including presiding over the meeting of the committee of chairpersons, approve the budget and expenditures of the committees and to preside over sittings of the House, when requested or when the chairperson and deputy chairperson are not available.

===Chief Whips and Party Whips===
Whips represent their individual parties' interests and ensure the discipline of their members. They also ensure that their parties function effectively. There are two Chief Whips who are official office bearers, the Chief Whip of the majority party and the Chief Whip of the largest opposition party. The smaller parties have Senior Whips assisted by a number of whips. The Chief Whips are formally appointed by the chairperson.  The Chief Whip of the majority party is responsible for the detailed arrangement of the legislative business.<ref>[https://www.pa.org.za/info/national-council-provinces National Council of Provinces]. Retrieved on 29 December 2018.</ref>

===Leader of the Opposition===
The position is designated to the leader of the largest opposition party in the legislature. [[Cathlene Labuschagne]] of the [[Democratic Alliance (South Africa)|Democratic Alliance]] has been serving as Leader of the Opposition since her election in September 2016.

==See also==
* [[Provincial legislature (South Africa)]]
* [[List of National Council of Provinces members of the 28th Parliament of South Africa]]
* [[Federalism]]
* [[National Assembly of South Africa]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.parliament.gov.za/live/content.php?Category_ID=27 Parliament of South Africa: National Council of Provinces] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119091735/http://www.parliament.gov.za/live/content.php?Category_ID=27 |date=19 November 2016 }}

{{SALegislatures}}
{{National upper houses}}

[[Category:1997 establishments in South Africa]]
[[Category:National upper houses|South Africa]]
[[Category:Parliament of South Africa]]