South Africa’s massive Cabinet compared to the USA, UK and more

President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to announce his new cabinet, which will likely be far larger than many developed countries.

Following the 2024 national elections, the ANC lost its majority in parliament with 40% of the vote.

Thus, the party has called for a Government of National Unity (GNU), which has been joined by the DA, IFP, Good, PA, PAC, Rise Mzansi, FF Plus, UDM, and Al Jama-ah.

Despite being inaugurated last Wednesday, June 19, the President has yet to announce his new cabinet amid negotiations over ministerial and deputy minister positions.

The DA has asked for the Deputy President position, 12 ministries, and deputy ministries, as well as the ability to appoint Director-Generals in the departments that it controls. The party’s Annelie Lotriet has already been voted in as Deputy Speaker.

The ANC reportedly increased its offer to the DA of three cabinet positions to six.

With tussles for positions, it should be noted that Ramaphosa has a somewhat bloated cabinet that he needs to fill, as South Africa’s cabinet is far more extensive than that of other developed nations.

South Africa currently has thirty ministries, which is far larger than that of Germany (17), Japan (20), the UK (24) and the US (26).

These countries have larger populations and much bigger economies:

The Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) said that South Africa’s cabinet should be slashed to just 20 ministers, and all processes should be simplified to make the state more efficient.

The CDE suggested that the following ministries should be included in the cut: Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Public Works and Infrastructure, Small Business Development, and Public Enterprises.

“He (Ramaphosa) should resist the urge to preside over a bloated cabinet since smaller cabinets tend to be more agile, more collegial and more accountable,” the think tank said.

It is also rather ironic that the DA is fighting for so many cabinet positions, considering it has previously called for an even greater culling than the CDE.

As set out in its Vision 2029 document, the DA proposed a cabinet of only 15 ministries. It said that reconfiguring the executive could save an estimated R4.7 billion per year.

What will have to change

Although it is unclear whether Ramaphosa will cut cabinet positions, several ministerial positions will see new faces.

Several ministers did not make the cut on the ANC’s list of MPs:

• Police Minister Bheki Cele,
• Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi,
• International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor,
• Public Service and Administration Minister Noxolo Kiviet
• Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu
• Defence Minister Thandi Modise

Nevertheless, there may be a lifeline for some of these officials who are losing their seats: The President is allowed to appoint at least two ministers or deputies from outside the National Assembly.

Public Enterprises’s Pravin Gordhan, Trade and Industry’s Ebrahim Patel and Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities’s Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma are also retiring.

The minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture will also need a full-time replacement following Zizi Kodwa’s resignation amid corruption charges (he has still been sworn in as an MP).

There are also question marks over the Ministries in the Presidency responsible for Electricity and Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation run by Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and Maropene Ramakgopa (no relation), respectively. These ministries were only created in early 2023.

Kgosientsho said that his position shouldn’t exist by the end of the year amid an improvement in load shedding, while Maropene is also acting as the interim Sports, Arts, and Culture Minister.

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