Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula elected as National Assembly Speaker

Former Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has been elected as the new Speaker of the National Assembly (NA).

The NA held a plenary sitting in Parliament to elect a new Speaker on Thursday.

The proceedings saw Members of Parliament (MPs) vote by a secret ballot following the nomination of two candidates.

Candidates

Mapisa-Nqakula was nominated for the position of Speaker by African National Congress (ANC) chief whip Pemmy Majodina.

The nomination was seconded by Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu.

Democratic Alliance (DA) chief whip Natasha Mazzone nominated Annelie Lotriet – who is the party’s caucus chairperson – for the position.

DA leader John Steenhuisen seconded Lotriet’s nomination.

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Mapisa-Nqakula defeated Lotriet with 199 votes to 82, while there were 17 spoilt ballots.

Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) did not participate in Thursday’s session in Parliament.

The position became vacant when President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed the previous speaker, Thandi Modise, as the new Minister of Defence and Military Veterans following a Cabinet reshuffle earlier this month.

Modise has been in the position since 2019, following the sixth democratic elections. 

National Assembly Speaker’s responsibilities

In terms of the Rules of the House, the National Assembly Speaker has the responsibility of providing political leadership and strategic direction to the NA, and to exercise impartiality in carrying out these duties. 

The National Assembly, as the Constitution specifies, is elected to represent the people and to ensure government by the people under the Constitution.

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The NA does this by choosing the President, by providing a national forum for public consideration of issues, by passing legislation and by scrutinising and overseeing executive action.

The Speaker may also become acting president, in terms of the Constitution. This may happen if the president is out of the country or is otherwise unable to fulfil the duties of the president.