ActionSA has reiterated its demand to do away with deputy ministers after Deputy Police Minister Cassel Mathale testified that he has no job description.
Mathale gave testimony on Tuesday before the parliamentary ad hoc committee looking into claims made by Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner.
Mathale disclosed that since they served in the seventh administration, neither he nor his colleague had been given any assignments by Senzo Mchunu, the Minister of Police who is currently on special leave.
Athol Trollip, the parliamentary leader for ActionSA, stated that the admission is unmistakable proof of government inefficiency and waste.
He claimed that this section of Mathale’s testimony demonstrated the necessity of eliminating what he described as ceremonial and unnecessary government positions.
“This is not only an admission of redundancy but also a damning reflection of how bloated and wasteful our executive has become under the GNU [government of national unity], where all parties appear more interested in appeasing political interests than serving South Africans, who must hold them accountable for this wastage.
“It is inconceivable that, in a country grappling with escalating violent crime, police inefficiency, and a deepening crisis of public safety, the very individuals appointed to supposedly assist in leading the department have no defined role,” said Trollip.
Ceremonial positions
He added that the party had long warned of this type of dysfunction, which he said reflected a system built to reward political loyalty rather than improve governance.
He also criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to appoint an acting minister of police from outside of the cabinet while Mchunu is on leave.
He emphasised that this also showed the irrelevance of the roles of deputy ministers.
“ActionSA’s constitutional amendment proposing the removal of deputy ministers stems from this exact problem.
“South Africa simply cannot afford ceremonial positions that serve no practical function while our schools are overcrowded, our hospitals understaffed, and our police under-resourced.
“Every cent that sustains this wasteful layer of bureaucratic excess is a cent stolen from the fight against poverty, unemployment, and crime.”
He said the party remains committed to seeing the proposed constitutional amendment passed, calling on all political parties to support the move as a step toward ending government waste and improving accountability.
