Legislation: Frequently Asked Questions | Western Cape Government

Legislation: Frequently Asked Questions

Provincial Parliament of the Western Cape
(Western Cape Government)
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  1. What is a Bill?
  2. What is an Act?
  3. How is legislation formulated?
  4. What is the key role of the provincial legislature?
  5. Where is the Provincial Legislature?

What is a Bill?

A Bill is the draft version of a law or Act. It may be proposing either an entirely new Act, or an amendment to an existing Act, or it can simply repeal an existing Act.


What is an Act?

An Act is a constitutional plan passed by the legislature that is referred to as a 'Bill' until ratified to become a law.

How is legislation formulated?

There are a few ways in which legislation is initiated.

  1. By a Provincial Minister: The most common way in which Provincial Bills are drawn up are by a Provincial Minister, with the support of his ministry and department.
  2. By a Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL): Bills drawn up by individual Members are called Private Members Bills. A Committee concerned with Members' legislature proposals decides whether the Bill meets certain criteria (which could include financial implications) and can be introduced into the House.
  3. By a Committee: Parliament has recently drafted rules and procedures enabling a Committee to initiate a Bill.

What is the key role of the provincial legislature?
The provincial legislature is empowered to pass legislation within its functional areas, as well as a constitution for the province should it wish to do so.

Where is the Provincial Legislature?
The Provincial Legislature is located in the capital of the province, Cape Town, in Wale Street.
The content on this page was last updated on 15 March 2014