ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba is concerned the newly announced cabinet was bloated and will cost taxpayers over R183 million in salaries.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday evening a new cabinet composed of 32 ministers and 45 deputy ministers. Ramaphosa said that some of the portfolios have been separated in an effort to have a sole focus on issues.
The separated portfolios include agriculture and land reform ministries, justice and constitutional development from correctional services, and agriculture from land reform and rural development. Electricity and energy are now merged.
Taxpayers to foot bill for the larger cabinet
Mashaba said this decision would disadvantage taxpayers, who would now need to pay R2.6 million in salaries for each minister and R2.2 million for each deputy minister per year.
“On top of this, taxpayers will cover over R500 million for VIP protection and security and over R390 million for support staffing. These staggering figures do not even account for the additional costs associated with luxury residences afforded to ministers and deputy ministers,” said Mashaba.
Being the opposition of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Mashaba said the bloated cabinet contradicted Ramaphosa’s commitment to reduce its size during the 2018 State of the Nation Address.
He also added that some of the returning and reshuffled national executive members did not deserve to be in the cabinet under the seventh administration.
This includes the former basic education minister, Angie Motshekga, who now serves as the minister of defence and military veterans. He asserts that Motshekga has failed to improve basic education in the country.
He also said he was unhappy with how Dr Blade Nzimande handled the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) scandal. Mashaba said this should have deprived Nzimande of an opportunity to serve in the national executive. Nzimande was reinstated in a reduced cabinet portfolio. Nzimande will now only be responsible for the science, technology and innovation portfolio. This means he’ll no longer oversee the higher education component, which was included in his previous portfolio.
Mashaba said the GNU cabinet made a bad impression. He, however, said the cabinet would be held accountable for the direction that the country would take.
Defending the bloated structure
Speaking at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, Ramaphosa defended the bloated cabinet. “In the sixth democratic administration, we indicated our intention to reduce the number of portfolios in the national executive. However, due to the need to ensure that the national executive is inclusive of all parties to the government of national unity, this has not been possible,” he said.
Ramaphosa said all parties involved have committed to promoting accountable and transparent governance, evidence-based policy and decision-making.
These parties include the African National Congress, Patriotic Alliance, Inkatha Freedom Party, Good Party, Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, Freedom Front Plus, United Democratic Movement, Al Jama-Ah, Rise Mzansi, and United African Transformation.
“The incoming government will prioritise rapid, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth and the creation of a more just society by tackling poverty and inequality,” said Ramaphosa.
“We have had to consider how to form the new government in a manner that advances the national interest, gives due consideration to the outcome of the election and makes use of the respective capabilities within each of the parties,” he added.
