The Western Cape province of South Africa is governed in a parliamentary system in which the people elect the Provincial Parliament, and the parliament elects the Premier as head of the executive.
The Premier leads a cabinet of provincial ministers overseeing various executive departments. The provincial government is subject to the Constitution of the Western Cape and the Constitution of South Africa, which together form the supreme law of the province.
Parliament
The Western Cape Provincial Parliament, situated in Cape Town, is the legislative branch of the provincial government.
The parliament is made up of 42 members, elected by a system of party-list proportional representation.
An election is held every five years, conventionally at the same time as the election of the National Assembly. The most recent election took place in 2024.
Executive
The Premier of the Western Cape province is the head of the provincial government, chosen by the members of the provincial parliament from amongst themselves.
The premier selects a cabinet of ten ministers to oversee the thirteen departments of the provincial government.
The current premier is Alan Winde of the Democratic Alliance.
Provincial Cabinet
| Portfolio | MEC |
|---|---|
| Premier | Alan Winde |
| Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism | Ivan Meyer |
| Cultural Affairs and Sport | Ricardo Mackenzie |
| Education | David Maynier |
| Finance | Deidré Baartman |
| Health and Wellness | Mireille Wenger |
| Infrastructure | Tertuis Simmers |
| Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning | Anton Bredell |
| Mobility | Isaac Sileku |
| Police Oversight and Community Safety | Anroux Marais |
| Social Development | Jaco Londt |
Departments
Below are the 13 departments in the Western Cape Government:
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport
- Department of Economic Development and Tourism
- Western Cape Education Department (WCED)
- Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
- Department of Health and Wellness
- Department of Infrastructure
- Department of Local Government
- Western Cape Mobility Department
- Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety
- Western Cape Provincial Treasury
- Department of Social Development
- Department of the Premier
Local government
The Western Cape Province consists of 1 metropolitan municipality, the City of Cape Town, which is the local council for the Cape Town metropolitan area. The rest of the province is divided into 5 district municipalities which are subdivided into 24 local municipalities.
The municipalities are listed below;
- City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality
- Cape Winelands District Municipality
- Central Karoo District Municipality
- Garden Route District Municipality
- Overberg District Municipality
- West Coast District Municipality
Western Cape Public Entities
- Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ)
- Wesgro (Cape Town and Western Cape Tourism, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency)
- CapeNature
- Casidra SOC Ltd
- Freeport Saldanha
- Government Motor Transport (GMT)
- Heritage Western Cape (HWC)
- Western Cape Cultural Commission (WCCC)
- Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board (WCGRB)
- Western Cape Language Committee (WCLC)
- Western Cape Liquor Authority (WCLA)
- Western Cape Police Ombudsman (WCPO)
Contact Details
The contact details of the Western Cape Government are listed in the table below.
| Physical Address: | 9 Wale Street, Cape Town, 8001 |
| Telephone: | 0860 142 142 |
| Fax: | 021 483 7216 |
| SMS: | “Help” 079 769 1207 |
| Please Call Me: | 079 769 1207 |
| Email: | service@westerncape.gov.za |
| Website: | www.westerncape.gov.za |
