Executive Council (South Africa)
Encyclopedia
In South Africa
, the Executive Council of a province
is the cabinet
-equivalent in the provincial government. The Executive Council consists of the Premier
and five to ten other members, who have the title "Member of the Executive Council", commonly abbreviated to "MEC".
MECs are appointed by the Premier from amongst the members of the provincial legislature
; he or she can also dismiss them. The provincial legislature may force the Premier to reconstitute the council by passing a motion of no confidence
in the Executive Council excluding the Premier; if the legislature passes a motion of no confidence in the Executive Council including the Premier, then the Premier and the MECs must resign.
The Premier allocates powers and functions to the MECs; conventionally they are assigned portfolios in specific areas of responsibility. They are accountable to the provincial legislature, both individually and as a collective, and must regularly report to the legislature on the performance of their responsibilities.
The Western Cape
, the only province to have adopted its own constitution, chose to call its Executive Council the "Provincial Cabinet", and its MECs "Provincial Ministers".
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, the Executive Council of a province
Provinces of South Africa
South Africa is currently divided into nine provinces. On the eve of the 1994 general election, South Africa's former homelands, also known as Bantustans, were reintegrated and the four existing provinces were divided into nine. The twelfth, thirteenth and sixteenth amendments to the constitution...
is the cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
-equivalent in the provincial government. The Executive Council consists of the Premier
Premier (South Africa)
In South Africa, a Premier is the head of government of one of South Africa's nine provinces. The Premier of a province plays for that province a role similar to that played by the President for the country as a whole.-Election:...
and five to ten other members, who have the title "Member of the Executive Council", commonly abbreviated to "MEC".
MECs are appointed by the Premier from amongst the members of the provincial legislature
Provincial legislature (South Africa)
In South Africa, a provincial legislature is the legislative branch of the government of a province. The provincial legislatures are unicameral and vary in size from 30 to 80 members depending on the population of the province...
; he or she can also dismiss them. The provincial legislature may force the Premier to reconstitute the council by passing a motion of no confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
in the Executive Council excluding the Premier; if the legislature passes a motion of no confidence in the Executive Council including the Premier, then the Premier and the MECs must resign.
The Premier allocates powers and functions to the MECs; conventionally they are assigned portfolios in specific areas of responsibility. They are accountable to the provincial legislature, both individually and as a collective, and must regularly report to the legislature on the performance of their responsibilities.
The Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
, the only province to have adopted its own constitution, chose to call its Executive Council the "Provincial Cabinet", and its MECs "Provincial Ministers".