Changes: Parliament will have a few fresh faces. Pictures: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
Several members of the Cabinet got the chop from the National Assembly, according to a candidates list published by the the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
Bheki Cele, Lindiwe Zulu, Thulas Nxesi, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Noxolo Kiviet, Thandi Modise and Naledi Pandor are just some of the ministers whose names do not appear in the National Assembly candidates list following the elections on 29 May.
In what has been its poorest performance at the polls since 1994, the ANC lost a massive 71 NA seats.
The lists of designated Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Provincial Legislatures (MPLs) are compiled according to complex electoral seat formulas.
Meanwhile, the National Coloured Congress (NCC), Patriotic Alliance, and MK Party are some of the new parties with members heading to the NA for the first time.
Gayton Mackenzie’s Patriotic Alliance (PA), formed 14 years ago, received 330,376 votes (2.06%), a significant increase from 0.04% in 2019.
Reacting to the results, Mackenzie said, “Today PA is represented in local, provincial, and national government; we are a force to be reckoned with; no one is laughing anymore; the laugher didn’t stop me, and it should not stop you in your dreams.”
The National Coloured Congress (NCC), led by Fadiel Adams, will gain its first seat in the National Assembly, securing 0.23% of the national and 0.30% of regional votes.
Writing on Facebook, Adam said, “We have proven that politics doesn't need millions. Now we need to prove that small parties can stop corruption.”
Director of the School of Public Leadership at Stellenbosch University, Professor Zwelinzima Ndevu, says they are not surprised at the shake up in the National Assembly, as some of the ministers or MPs were not effective enough.
“It was bound to happen that we would see new faces from different political parties in the parliament sitting. I don’t think these changes will affect the operations of the National Assembly in the country,” Ndevu said.
Sibuliso.duba@inl.co.za