Deputy President of South Africa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa |
|
|---|---|
| Style | Mr Deputy President (informal) His Excellency (formal, diplomatic) |
| Abbreviation | DP |
| Member of | Cabinet National Assembly |
| Reports to | The President |
| Residence | Oliver Tambo House (Pretoria) Highstead (Cape Town) Dr. John L. Dube House (Durban) |
| Appointer | President |
| Term length | No term limit |
| Inaugural holder | F. W. De Klerk Thabo Mbeki |
| Formation | 10 May 1994 |
| Deputy | Minister in the Presidency |
| Salary | R3 million |
The deputy president of South Africa is the deputy to the president, of the Republic of South Africa and is a member of the National Assembly and the Cabinet.
The deputy president is constitutionally required to "assist the president in the execution of the functions of government", and may be assigned any government portfolio by presidential proclamation.
The deputy president performs the duties of the president when the president is outside the country's borders, unable to fulfill the duties of the office, or when the presidency is vacant.
The deputy president is generally appointed as the leader of government business in the Parliament of South Africa by the president.
Under the interim constitution (valid from 1994 to 1996), there was a Government of National Unity, in which a member of parliament from the largest opposition party was entitled to a position as deputy president. Along with Mbeki, the previous state president, F. W. de Klerk, also served as deputy president in his capacity as the leader of the National Party, then the second-largest party in the new parliament. De Klerk later resigned and went into opposition with his party. A voluntary coalition government continues to exist under the new constitution (adopted in 1996), although there have been no appointments of opposition politicians to the post of deputy president.
The official living residences of the deputy president are Oliver Tambo House in Pretoria, Highstead, in Cape Town and Dr John L Dube House in Durban.
Contents
Inception and expiry of term
The deputy president's term of office is not fixed by law. The deputy president's term begins upon appointment from by the president. The deputy president must be selected from the members of the National Assembly and takes a prescribed oath.
The deputy president's term is ended by one of four constitutional mechanisms: dismissal by the president, a successful 'motion of no confidence in the president' by the National Assembly, a successful 'motion of no confidence excluding the president' by the National Assembly, or a newly elected president's assumption of office. Presumably, a statement of resignation would also be sufficient to end a deputy president's term of office.
Informal roles
Depending on the extent of any informal roles and functions of the deputy president depend on the specific relationship between the president and deputy president, but often the roles include tasks like:
- Spokesperson for the administration policies
- Adviser to the president
Deputy presidents of South Africa (1994–present)
- Parties
National Party
African National Congress
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | President | Political party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 |  |
F. W. de Klerk (1936–2021) |
10 May 1994 | 30 June 1996 (resigned) |
2 years, 51 days | Nelson Mandela | National Party |
| 2 |  |
Thabo Mbeki (born 1942) |
10 May 1994 | 16 June 1999 (became president) |
5 years, 37 days | African National Congress | |
| 3 |  |
Jacob Zuma (born 1942) |
16 June 1999 | 14 June 2005 (was dismissed but became president on 9 May 2009) |
5 years, 363 days | Thabo Mbeki | |
| 4 |  |
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka (born 1955) |
14 June 2005 | 23 September 2008 (resigned) |
3 years, 101 days | ||
| 5 |  |
Baleka Mbete (born 1949) |
25 September 2008 | 9 May 2009 (term ended) |
226 days | Kgalema Motlanthe | |
| 6 | .jpg) |
Kgalema Motlanthe (born 1949) |
9 May 2009 | 26 May 2014 (term ended) |
5 years, 17 days | Jacob Zuma | |
| 7 | .jpg) |
Cyril Ramaphosa (born 1952) |
26 May 2014 | 15 February 2018 (became president) |
3 years, 265 days | ||
| 8 | .jpg) |
David Mabuza (born 1960) |
27 February 2018 | 28 February 2023 (resigned) |
5 years, 1 day | Cyril Ramaphosa | |
| 9 |  |
Paul Mashatile (born 1961) |
7 March 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 259 days | ||
See also
- List of current vice presidents
- Vice State President of South Africa
- President of South Africa
