From 30 to 20 ministers – what a smaller government for South Africa would look like
The Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) called for a significant reduction in the number of ministers in South Africa’s government and a fundamental overhaul of the Presidency.
The CDE said these are important steps towards fixing South Africa’s weak state and included these suggestions in a new report, ACTION ONE: Reorganise the Presidency and the Cabinet.
“The state’s capacity to develop policies and deliver public services and programmes has been undermined by systemic corruption, too many compromised party loyalists, inadequate skills at critical levels, and a lack of accountability for poor performance and wrongdoing,” said CDE executive director Ann Bernstein.
“At the same time, government has taken on more responsibilities, creating new government departments and public entities.”
“Adding extra layers of bureaucracy and parallel management structures has made it harder to take decisions and co-ordinate key actors to deliver on outcomes.”
To deepen reform, the CDE suggested that the President select the best people available to him – those with the necessary experience and skills to lead large government departments and those with integrity to govern honestly.
“He should resist the urge to preside over a bloated Cabinet since smaller Cabinets tend to be more agile, more collegial and more accountable,” the organisation said.
A Daily Investor analysis found that South Africa has more ministers than the world’s largest and wealthiest countries, including the United States, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
Last year, the DA’s shadow minister for public service and administration, Leon Schreiber, revealed that this large cabinet is costing taxpayers billions.
He said ministers and deputy ministers employed 624 personal staff members, costing taxpayers R1.9 billion since Ramaphosa took office in February 2018.
He added that ministers and deputy ministers live in 97 state-owned mansions in Pretoria and Cape Town worth nearly R1 billion.
“We are alive to the political reality of a potential coalition government and the need for the President to accommodate various parties in his Cabinet,” said Bernstein.
“However, we believe – even within this constraint – it is possible to reduce the number of Cabinet Ministers and ensure that the best available people are chosen in key portfolios.”
In CDE’s analysis, a better-organized, smaller, and more effective cabinet of about 20 ministers could be constituted out of the current 30.
The organisation explained that not all ministers have equally important portfolios. The most important figure in the Cabinet after the President is the Minister of Finance, who must have personal and political authority and the full confidence of the President.
“This support must include backing the Finance Minister’s assessment of affordability or otherwise of policy proposals from other ministries and critically of what is and is not, a sustainable fiscal position,” it explained.
“The President must fully use his constitutional prerogative to appoint two Cabinet Ministers from outside the National Assembly. This is a crucial mechanism to bring in new leadership and specialist expertise into key positions at a time of national crisis,” said Bernstein.
She said cabinet processes must be dramatically improved and the Presidency reorganised to ensure a focus on key priorities.
“Judging by the quality of government’s decision-making and from the accounts of senior public servants with experience of Cabinet processes, Cabinet’s ability to make evidence-based decisions is weak, largely because its processes deny it the information needed to make those decisions,” said Bernstein.
She said a far more rigorous priority-setting process would greatly strengthen cabinet processes, allowing the government to focus on doing fewer things well.
“We need to stop the tendency of Presidents endlessly updating their list of priorities and announcing new initiatives every time something captures their imagination,” said Bernstein.
She suggested strengthening Operation Vulindlela (OV) and reconstituted as a delivery unit focused solely on implementing priority reforms.
It should absorb the Department of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation and the Project Management Office in the Presidency while ensuring that the implementation of a reform agenda is its core function.
What a streamlined cabinet might look like
CDE provided an idea of what these changes might look like, with a smaller and more effective cabinet of 20 ministers that be constituted out of the current 30.
“South Africa needs an urgent and serious discussion on what a more effective Cabinet should look like in order to meet the country’s challenges for the next five years,” the organisation said.
Here is what South Africa’s current cabinet looks like:
Minister | |
---|---|
1 | Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development |
2 | Minister of Basic Education |
3 | Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies |
4 | Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs |
5 | Minister of Defence and Military Veterans |
6 | Minister of Employment and Labour |
7 | Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment |
8 | Minister of Finance |
9 | Minister of Health |
10 | Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation |
11 | Minister of Home Affairs |
12 | Minister of Human Settlements |
13 | Minister of International Relations and Cooperation |
14 | Minister of Justice and Correctional Services |
15 | Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy |
16 | Minister of Police |
17 | Minister in the Presidency |
18 | Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity |
19 | Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation |
20 | Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities |
21 | Minister of Public Enterprises |
22 | Minister of Public Service and Administration |
23 | Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure |
24 | Minister of Small Business Development |
25 | Minister of Social Development |
26 | Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture |
27 | Minister of Tourism |
28 | Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition |
29 | Minister of Transport |
30 | Minister of Water and Sanitation |
Here is the CDE’s suggestion for an alternative, smaller cabinet:
Ministry | Changes | Deputy Ministers | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Finance | As is, but appoint a strong minister, with full presidential support. | No |
2 | Economy | Three into one – DTIC, Mining, and Tourism. | Yes (Two Deputy Ministers) |
3 | Employment and Labour | Leave as is, but with a primary focus on reducing unemployment. | No |
4 | Cities, Housing, and Urban Development | New ministry focused just on Metros. Absorbs Human Settlements where a national focus will continue. | Yes (Two Deputy Ministers) |
5 | Water and Sanitation, Energy, Environment | Two into one – Energy splits from Mining. | Yes (Two Deputy Ministers) |
6 | Transport, Infrastructure, Communications and Digital Technologies | Three into one. Infrastructure splits off from public works. | Yes (Two Deputy Ministers) |
7 | Agriculture and Land Reform | As is. | Yes (Two Deputy Ministers) |
8 | Local Government (non-metros) and Traditional Affairs | As is – but now main focus on non- Metro local government, along with Traditional Affairs. | Yes (Two Deputy Ministers) |
The Social Services Cluster
Ministry | Changes | Deputy Ministers | |
---|---|---|---|
9 | Education and Training | Two into one. Main focus on basic and higher education, with a strong small division focusing on science and innovation. | Yes (Two Deputy Ministers) |
10 | Health | As is. | No |
11 | Social Development | As is. | No |
12 | Sports, Arts and Culture | As is. | No |
13 | Home Affairs | As is. | No |
The Safety and Security Cluster
Ministry | Changes | Deputy Ministers | |
---|---|---|---|
14 | Police | As is. | No |
15 | Justice and Correctional Services | As is. | No |
16 | Defence | As is. | No |
17 | State Security and Intelligence | As is but outside the Presidency. | No |
18 | International Relations | As is. | No |
Public Service
Ministry | Changes | Deputy Ministers | |
---|---|---|---|
19 | Public Service and Administration | As is. | No |
20 | Minister in the Presidency | As is, but providing support in driving the reform programme. | No |
Therefore, the following ministries would either be terminated or downgraded to non-ministerial level if the CDE’s suggestion is implemented –
- Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity – Terminate
- Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation – Downgrade and to be absorbed into Operation Vulindlela.
- Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities – Make this a function in every department where appropriate.
- Minister of Public Enterprises – Terminate (Viable SOCs to report to line departments)
- Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure – Public works should be a provincial function. Infrastructure is part of a new Ministry
- Minister of Small Business Development – Terminate and shut down the department
The CDE said its proposed list is based on advice from experts, but it is not intended to be the final word on the topic.
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