# Deputy President of South Africa

The deputy president of South Africa is the second highest ranking officer of the executive branch of the Government of South Africa. The deputy president 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.

## 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 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. A statement of resignation can also 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 | Term of office | Term of office | President | Political party |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | President | Political party |
| 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 | 14 June 1999 (became president) | 5 years, 35 days | Nelson Mandela | African National Congress |
| 3 | | Jacob Zuma (born 1942) | 14 June 1999 | 14 June 2005 (dismissed but became president on 9 May 2009) | 6 years, 0 days | Thabo Mbeki | African National Congress |
| 4 | | Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka (born 1955) | 14 June 2005 | 23 September 2008 (resigned) | 3 years, 101 days | Thabo Mbeki | African National Congress |
| 5 | | Baleka Mbete (born 1949) | 25 September 2008 | 9 May 2009 (term ended) | 226 days | Kgalema Motlanthe | African National Congress |
| 6 | | Kgalema Motlanthe (born 1949) | 9 May 2009 | 26 May 2014 (term ended) | 5 years, 17 days | Jacob Zuma | African National Congress |
| 7 | | Cyril Ramaphosa (born 1952) | 26 May 2014 | 15 February 2018 (became president) | 3 years, 265 days | Jacob Zuma | African National Congress |
| 8 | | David Mabuza (born 1960) | 27 February 2018 | 28 February 2023 (resigned) | 5 years, 1 day | Cyril Ramaphosa | African National Congress |
| 9 | | Paul Mashatile (born 1961) | 7 March 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 302 days | Cyril Ramaphosa | African National Congress |