The Speaker of the National Assembly presides over the National Assembly of South Africa, the lower house of the Parliament of South Africa. The speaker is chosen from among the Members of the Assembly at its first sitting following a general election and whenever the office is vacant.[1] The Speaker acts as a "referee", taking charge of debates to make sure that the MPs can participate freely while keeping to the rules. The Speaker also has managerial duties to ensure that Parliament runs smoothly. Each political party in the Assembly elects a chief whip to run its affairs. The presiding officers, the chief whips, and the Leader of Government Business (the person appointed by the Cabinet to liaise with Parliament) together decide on the programme of work.
| Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa | |
|---|---|
Incumbent Vacant | |
| National Assembly of South Africa | |
| Style | Honorable Speaker |
| Type | Presiding officer of one chamber in a bicameral legislature |
| Residence | Cape Town |
| Appointer | Elected by members of the National Assembly |
| Formation | 1854 |
| First holder | Christoffel Brand |
| Deputy | Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly |
| Salary | R226‚400.00 a month |
| Website | https://www.parliament.gov.za/na-presiding-officers |
The office of Speaker of the National Assembly was preceded by the offices of Speaker of the House of Assembly (1910–1984) under the 1909 and 1961 constitutions and Speaker of Parliament under the Tricameral Parliament (1984–1994).
The Speaker
The Speaker of the National Assembly is elected to and removed from office in terms of S52 of the Constitution. In terms of this section the:
- House must elect the Speaker from its members during the first House sitting
- The house may remove the Speaker by resolution
- The house must fill the position when it becomes vacant during term
- Chief Justice must preside over the election of the Speaker
The Mandate of the Speaker
The Speaker's mandate is twofold. It is constitutional and institutional. This mandate is furthermore dual at the National Assembly and Parliamentary level. In both situations, it involves interacting with the following sectors of the global community:
- International
- Continental
- Regional
- National
List of speakers (1854–present)
Speakers of the Cape House of Assembly (1854–1910)
| No. | Name (Birth–Death) | Portrait | Term of office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir Christoffel Brand (1797–1875) |  | 1854–1873 |
| 2 | Sir David Tennant (1829–1905) |  | 1874–1895 |
| 3 | Sir Henry Juta (1875–1930) |  | 1896–1898 |
| 4 | Sir Bisset Berry (1839–1922) |  | 1899–1907 |
| 5 | James Tennant Molteno (1865–1936) |  | 1907–1910 |
Speakers of the House of Assembly (1910–1994)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 | | Sir James Tennant Molteno (1865–1936)[2] | 1 November 1910 | 18 November 1915 | 5 years, 17 days | South African Party |
| 2 |  | Joel Krige (1866–1933) | 19 November 1915 | 24 July 1924 | 8 years, 248 days | South African Party |
| 3 |  | Ernest George Jansen (1881–1959) | 25 July 1924 | 19 June 1929 | 4 years, 329 days | National Party |
| 4 | | Jan Hendrick Hofmeyr de Waal (1871–1937) | 19 July 1929 | 25 May 1933 | 3 years, 310 days | National Party |
| (3) | | Ernest George Jansen (1881–1959) | 26 May 1933 | 21 January 1944 | 10 years, 240 days | National Party (until 1934) |
| United Party (from 1934) | ||||||
| 5 | | Clifford Meyer van Coller (1876–1977) | 22 January 1944 | 5 August 1948 | 4 years, 196 days | United Party |
| 6 |  | Jozua François Naudé (1889–1969) | 6 August 1948 | 7 November 1950 | 2 years, 93 days | National Party |
| 7 | | Johannes Conradie (1897–1966) | 19 January 1951 | 31 December 1960 | 9 years, 347 days | National Party |
| 8 | | Henning Johannes Klopper (1895–1985) | 20 January 1961 | 1 August 1974 | 13 years, 193 days | National Party |
| 9 | Alwyn Schlebusch (1917–2008) | 2 August 1974 | 25 January 1976 | 1 year, 176 days | National Party | |
| 10 | | Jannie Loots (1914–1998) | 26 January 1976 | 30 July 1981 | 5 years, 186 days | National Party |
| 11 | | J. P. du Toit | 31 July 1981 | 13 February 1983 | 1 year, 197 days | National Party |
| 12 | | Johan Greeff (1921–2004) | 14 February 1983 | 31 December 1986 | 3 years, 320 days | National Party |
| 13 | | Louis le Grange (1928–1991) | 1 January 1987 | 26 October 1991 | 4 years, 298 days | National Party |
| 14 | | Gene Louw (1931–2015) | 14 November 1991 | 9 May 1994 | 2 years, 176 days | National Party |
Speakers of the National Assembly (1994–present)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 | | Frene Ginwala (1932-2023) | 9 May 1994 | 12 July 2004 | 10 years, 64 days | African National Congress |
| 2 |  | Baleka Mbete (born 1949) | 12 July 2004 | 25 September 2008 | 4 years, 75 days | African National Congress |
| 3 | | Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde (born 1955) | 25 September 2008 | 6 May 2009 | 223 days | African National Congress |
| 4 | .jpg) | Max Sisulu (born 1945) | 6 May 2009 | 21 May 2014 | 5 years, 15 days | African National Congress |
| 5 | | Baleka Mbete (born 1949) | 21 May 2014 | 22 May 2019 | 5 years, 1 day | African National Congress |
| 6 | .jpg) | Thandi Modise (born 1959) | 22 May 2019 | 5 August 2021 | 2 years, 75 days | African National Congress |
| 7 | .jpg) | Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula (born 1956) | 19 August 2021 | 5 April 2024 | 2 years, 254 days | African National Congress |
