Western Cape legislature set to convene, Premier Winde to announce new cabinet

While coalition talks are still not completed at a national level, the Western Cape legislature will swear in 42 members on Thursday, 13 June. It will be a long day that includes the swearing-in of a new provincial cabinet. 

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will have a majority 24 seats following its retention of the province in the national and provincial elections with 55% of the votes. 

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The DA’s returning members include incumbent Alan Winde who will become premier for the second time, veterans such as Anton Bredell, Ivan Meyer and DA Western Cape leader Tertuis Simmers. Newcomers to the DA caucus include DA provincial chair and former MP Jaco Londt and former mayors Leon van Wyk (George) and Memory Booysen.

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While the DA caucus remains constant, there are changes in opposition benches: the ANC has dropped from 12 seats to eight, while parties such as the Patriotic Alliance and the National Coloured Congress will join the legislature for the first time with three and one seats respectively. 

There will be an election for a legislature speaker and deputy speaker, along with the premier. Winde should again be premier, as the DA majority is expected to push through his appointment. 

The legislature will at least have a new deputy speaker after Beverley Schäfer did not make herself available for the DA candidate selection process for public representatives. 

Once the sitting of the legislature is over, Winde should be sworn into office. In the afternoon, he will announce a new provincial cabinet. Here, at least one name will change as MEC for Social Development Sharna Fernandez indicated that she would retire after the elections.

Ahead of the announcement of his cabinet, Winde said it had been “carefully chosen” to build on the successes of his first term – and to confront many issues that still needed to be addressed in the new term. 

“We are still faced with massive challenges, and many of these were made clear to me as I crisscrossed this province and met and listened to our residents. Our mandate as provincial government is clear, and I am wholly committed to ensuring that through departments like education, health and social development, our residents have access to the social support that they need,” said Winde.

“Crime is still unacceptably high. Too many people are unemployed, and many of our residents are poorer as a result of the cost-of-living crisis. While we have recently been spared load shedding, the energy crisis continues to wreak havoc on our economy and impacts people’s safety,” he said. 

Following the sitting of the Western Cape legislature, there will be a rush in other provinces to swear in new members. On Friday, new MPs in the National Assembly will take the oath of office in Cape Town and on Saturday, National Council of Provinces delegates will take their oath of office. DM