Following recent national and provincial elections, two more parties will be represented in the North West Provincial Assembly, following the success of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) and Action SA, who secured one seat each.
The MK party has not said who it will nominate for parliament, but ActionSA will be led by Kwena Mangope, the son of former Bophuthatswana president Lucas Mangope.
Thirty-eight candidates are scheduled to take oath as Members of Provincial Legislative Assembly (MPL) on Friday.
As a result of the provincial and national elections, the African National Congress (ANC) won 23 seats in the province, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) won seven seats, the Democratic Alliance (DA) won five seats, and the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), MK Party and Action SA each won one seat.
North West Provincial Assembly Secretary, Innocent Netshitumbu, said the date for the first meeting had been finalised.
“The first sitting of the North West Provincial Assembly will be held at 10am on Friday, 14 June, at Parliament House here in Mahikeng. The date has been decided by the Chief Justice with permission from the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. This will be done under section 110 of the Constitution. We have confirmed the date and will communicate it to all the represented parties and publish it in the Official Gazette.”
Just one day before the inauguration, it's unclear who will represent the majority party.
Former Prime Minister Bussi Mape has said he has no intention of returning.
ANC chairperson Nono Maloyi is no longer in a position to lead the provincial government but could return as an MPL.
The party's state secretary, Luis Dilemero, said all was well.
“We believe that with two new faces in parliament, everything is going well. We have the ANC number 23. So, everything is going well with the ANC.”
The opposition has said it would consider working together, especially if it guaranteed improved services for state residents.
“We are still in discussions. Remember MK and ActionSA will join with one seat each and become the five opposition parties, so we need to talk to them to see if we have plans as an opposition… Nationally, you know our parties are in discussions, coalitions and so on. It remains to be seen whether what happens nationally will have an impact here,” says DA provincial chair Freddy Sonakile.
EFF provincial spokesperson Fanone Moema added: “We have men and women with different capacities and we believe that together, or collectively, they will do a great job, firstly, in holding government to account and secondly, in making sure that there is proper oversight across the various committees and areas of parliament.”
Meanwhile, the MK party has said it will not take part in Friday's inauguration ceremony on the instructions of its leader.