South Africa
National Council of Provinces
-
Political system
Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
View field in the data dictionary -
Parliamentary system
-
Structure of parliament
Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
View field in the data dictionary -
Bicameral
-
IPU membership
Current membership status
View field in the data dictionary -
Yes
Data on women
Information on the current and historical representation of women in the parliament. Consult the 'Elections' tab to see how women have fared in elections or renewals.
Current representation
Women's representation in the current parliament or chamber
-
Current number of members
Number of members who currently hold seats in parliament. May be lower or higher than the statutory number of members.
View field in the data dictionary -
54
-
Women
The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
View field in the data dictionary -
24
-
Percentage of women
Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
View field in the data dictionary -
44.4%
Speaker
- Speaker
-
Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane (Female)
Date of birth: 03 Sep 1973 - Additional information
-
Elected on 15 June 2024.
Secretary general
No information available
Chairs of specialized bodies
| Specialized body | Theme | Name | Sex | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subcommittee on Women, Youth Development and Persons with Disabilities (under Select Committee on Health and Social Services) | Gender equality, Human rights | Claudia Nonhlanhla Ndaba | Female | 55 |
| Committee on Multi-Party Women’s Caucus | Gender equality | Female | - | |
| Portfolio Committee on Social Development | Human rights | Shahidabibi Shaikh | Female | 54 |
| Foreign Affairs, Defence and Human Rights Committee | Foreign affairs, Defence, Human rights | Shahidabibi Shaikh | Female | 54 |
Data on age at the start of the legislature
Number of members, by age (2019-05)
| 18 - 20 | 21 - 30 | 31 - 40 | 41 - 45 | 46 - 50 | 51 - 60 | 61 - 70 | 71 - 80 | 81 - 90 | 91 and over | Totals per gender | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| Female | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Totals per age interval | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 14 | 16 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 53 |
| Total <= 45: 12 | Total >= 46: 41 | ||||||||||
| Age at the last election or renewal | Overall | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.9% | 1.9% | 0.0% | |
| 15.1% | 11% | 3.8% | |
| 22.6% | 17% | 5.7% |
Reserved seats and quotas
-
There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
Reserved seats are a means to ensure the parliamentary representation of certain groups in society.
View field in the data dictionary -
No
-
Electoral quota for women
Quotas to promote gender-balanced representation in parliament
View field in the data dictionary -
No
Notes: Political party quota - 'the provision of a quota of not less than fifty percent of women in all elected structures.
First woman in parliament
-
Year of first woman in parliament
Year in which the first woman entered parliament
View field in the data dictionary -
1933
Notes: 1933: This is before suffrage was granted to non-whites
First woman speaker
-
Year of first woman speaker
Date at which, for the first time in the country's parliamentary history, a woman became Presiding Officer of Parliament or of one of its Houses.
View field in the data dictionary -
1994
Women’s suffrage
-
Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote. More than one year may be displayed depending on the status of the right: restricted or universal and changes in status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1930
-
Restricted or universal suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
View field in the data dictionary -
Restricted
-
Detail of restrictions
Suffrage: Restrictions detail
View field in the data dictionary -
White women only
-
Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote. More than one year may be displayed depending on the status of the right: restricted or universal and changes in status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1984
-
Restricted or universal suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
View field in the data dictionary -
Restricted
-
Detail of restrictions
Suffrage: Restrictions detail
View field in the data dictionary -
Colored and South Africans accorded the right to vote but only for their respective Houses in the tri-cameral parliament
-
Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote. More than one year may be displayed depending on the status of the right: restricted or universal and changes in status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1994
-
Restricted or universal suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
View field in the data dictionary -
Universal
Notes: The right of all South Africans to vote is enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the constitution since 1996 but men and women had exercised this right since 1994.
-
Women's right to stand for election
Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election. More than one year may be displayed based on the status of the right: restricted or universal and shifts to the status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1930
-
Restricted or universal
Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
View field in the data dictionary -
Restricted
-
Detail of restrictions
Stand for Election: Restrictions detail
View field in the data dictionary -
White women only
-
Women's right to stand for election
Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election. More than one year may be displayed based on the status of the right: restricted or universal and shifts to the status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1984
-
Restricted or universal
Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
View field in the data dictionary -
Restricted
-
Detail of restrictions
Stand for Election: Restrictions detail
View field in the data dictionary -
Colored and South Africans accorded the right to vote but only for their respective Houses in the tri-cameral parliament
-
Women's right to stand for election
Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election. More than one year may be displayed based on the status of the right: restricted or universal and shifts to the status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1994
-
Restricted or universal
Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
View field in the data dictionary -
Universal
Notes: The right of all South Africans to vote is enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the constitution since 1996 but men and women had exercised this right since 1994.
Women's caucus
Women's caucuses or parliamentary groups that bring together women parliamentarians to strengthen cooperation and amplify their voices. For other parliamentary bodies or committees that have a specific mandate to address gender equality matters, see the ‘Specialized body – Gender equality’ tab.