What is Parliament

South Africa is a parliamentary democracy. This means that our system of government is based on an agreement among the different political groups in the country to recognise one another as, not enemies, but legitimate political opponents. The political group (or ‘party’) that has the support of the majority of the population has the right to overn the country, while the minority parties have the right to express their views and concerns in an open system.

Members of Parliament are chosen at regular intervals by an election in which political parties compete for the votes of the citizens. The result of an election is that each party gets seats in Parliament in proportion to the number of votes it received. It is the task of the representatives elected in this way - the Members of Parliament - to convey the ideas, views and concerns of their voters.

As the representative of the citizens in government, Parliament performs the vital tasks of overseeing the government of the province and holding it accountable, and considering and passing laws.