Free State Provincial Legislature

The Free State Provincial Legislature is the primary legislative body of the South African province of Free State. It is unicameral in its composition and elects the Premier of the Free State, who in turn selects the members of the Executive Council of the Free State.

Free State Provincial Legislature Vrystaatse Provinsiale Wetgewer (Afrikaans) Kopano ea Molao ea Lekhotla la Free State (Sotho)
7th Legislature
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
Speaker	Mxolisi Dukwana, ANC since 27 June 2024[1]
Deputy Speaker	Nolitha Ndungane, ANC since 27 June 2024
Premier	Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae, ANC since 14 June 2024
Leader of the Opposition	Roy Jankielsohn, DA since 21 May 2014[2]
Structure
Seats	30
Political groups	Government (16)   ANC (16) Official Opposition (7)   DA (7) Other parties (7)   EFF (4)   FF+ (1)   MK (1)   ACT (1)
Elections
Voting system	Party-list proportional representation
Last election	29 May 2024
Meeting place
Legislative Chamber, Vierde Raadsaal, Bloemfontein
Website
Free State Legislature

Powers

The Free State Provincial Legislature chooses the Premier of the Free State, the head of the Free State's provincial executive. The legislature can force the Premier to resign by passing a motion of no confidence. Although the Executive Council is chosen by the Premier, the legislature may pass a motion of no confidence to force the Premier to change the composition of the Council. The legislature also appoints Free State's delegates to the National Council of Provinces, allocating delegates to parties in proportion to the number of seats each party holds in the legislature.

The legislature has the power to pass legislation in numerous fields specified in the national constitution, including include health, education (except universities), agriculture, housing, environmental protection, and development planning. In some fields, legislative power is shared with the national parliament, while in other fields it is reserved to the Free State alone.

The legislature oversees the administration of the Free State provincial government, and the Premier and the members of the Executive Council are required to report to the legislature on the performance of their responsibilities. The legislature also manages the finances of the provincial government by way of the appropriation bills which determine the Free State's provincial budget.

Election

The provincial legislature consists of 30 members, who are elected through a system of party-list proportional representation with closed lists. The most recent election was held on 29 May 2024. The following table summarises the results.

Party		Votes	Vote %	Seats
	ANC	429,241	51.87	16
	DA	181,062	21.88	7
	EFF	111,850	13.52	4
	VF+	24,933	3.01	1
	MK	15,985	1.93	1
	ACT	15,120	1.83	1
	Other parties	49,321	5.96	0
Total		827,512	100.0	30

The following table shows the composition of the provincial parliament after past elections. The African National Congress has held a majority in the legislature since 1994, while the Democratic Alliance has been the official opposition since 2014, when it displaced the Congress of the People.

Party		1994	1999	2004	2009	2014	2019	2024
	African Christian Democratic Party	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
	African Congress for Transformation	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
	African National Congress	24	25	25	22	22	19	16
	Congress of the People	—	—	—	4	0	0	0
	Democratic Alliance / Democratic Party	0	2	3	3	5	6	7
	Economic Freedom Fighters	—	—	—	—	2	4	4
	Freedom Front Plus / Freedom Front	2	1	1	1	1	1	1
	New National Party / National Party	4	2	0	—	—	—	—
	UMkhonto we Sizwe	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
Total		30

Officers

The following people have served as Speaker of the Free State Provincial Legislature.

Name		Term start	Term end	Party
	Motlalepula Chabaku[3]	1994	1998	ANC
	Joel Mafereka	1998	2001	ANC
	Jani Mohapi	2001	2002	ANC
	Mxolisi Dukwana	2002	2008	ANC
	Ouma Tsopo	2013	2014	ANC
	Sisi Mabe	2014	2014	ANC
	Mamiki Qabathe	2015	2019	ANC
	Zanele Sifuba	2019	2024	ANC
	Mxolisi Dukwana	2024	Incumbent	ANC

Members

See also: Member of the Provincial Legislature

• Members of the 6th Free State Provincial Legislature (2019–2024)
• Members of the 5th Free State Provincial Legislature (2014–2019)
• Members of the 4th Free State Provincial Legislature (2009–2014)
• Members of the 3rd Free State Provincial Legislature (2004–2009)
• Members of the 2nd Free State Provincial Legislature (1999–2004)