Parliament
How laws are made
National Assembly
- • 400 members (MPs)
- • Elected proportionally (party votes)
- • Makes laws, elects President
- • Holds government accountable
National Council of Provinces
- • 90 delegates (10 per province)
- • Represents provincial interests
- • Must approve laws affecting provinces
- • Each province gets one vote on S76 bills
Current National Assembly Composition
7th Parliament (2024-2029) • 400 seats
ANC
DA
MK
EFF
ANC (159)
DA (87)
MK (58)
EFF (39)
IFP (17)
PA (9)
FF+ (6)
Others (25)
- Speaker: Presides over National Assembly debates, maintains order
- Deputy Speaker: Acts when Speaker is absent
- Chairperson of NCOP: Presides over the Council
- Chief Whip: Manages party discipline and voting
- Leader of Government Business: Coordinates government's legislative programme
- Leader of the Opposition: Leads the largest opposition party
Makes Laws
Debates and passes Bills that become Acts (laws) when signed by the President.
Holds Government Accountable
Questions ministers, conducts oversight visits, and investigates wrongdoing.
Represents the People
MPs bring constituency issues to Parliament and participate in public hearings.
A law starts as an idea and goes through multiple stages before becoming enforceable:
1
Green Paper
Discussion document with ideas for new policy
2
White Paper
Refined policy proposal after public feedback
3
Bill
Draft law introduced in Parliament
4
Committee Stage
Detailed review, public hearings, amendments
5
Act
Signed by President, becomes law
Bills are "tagged" based on what they affect:
- Section 74: Amendments to the Constitution — Requires 2/3 majority
- Section 75: Ordinary laws (national matters only) — Simple majority
- Section 76: Laws affecting provinces — NCOP has equal say
- Section 77: Money Bills (budget, taxes) — Only in NA first