Rejected: Ministers trying to hire unqualified people
Three ministers requested deviations from the Public Service Act to appoint unqualified staff to their teams—with every request rejected.
Responding to a question from Rise Mzansi’s Makashule Gana, Public Service Minister Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi said that three Cabinet members had requested deviations from the Public Service Act to appoint candidates who did not meet the minimum requirements for the specified jobs.
The IFP’s Buthelezi outlined the Directive on Human Resources Management and Development for the Public Service Professionalisation Volume 1, which details the following:
- “Clause 1.14 provides the inherent requirements for appointment into a Senior Management Service (SMS) post: A Chief Director or Director, a qualification at NQF level 7 recognised by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).
- Clause 1.15 stipulates the minimum years of experience for entry into SMS, excluding those who are specialists, as follows:
- Level 13 – 5 years of experience at a middle/senior managerial level.
- Level 14 – 5 years of experience at a senior managerial level.
- Level 15 – 8 years of experience at a senior managerial level.
- Level 15 – (Head of Department post) 10 years of experience at a senior managerial level.
- Level 16 -10 years of experience at a senior managerial level.”
Since 3 July 2024, the three Ministers that requested such deviations were Agriculture Minister and DA leader John Steenhuisen, Minister of Water and Sanitation Pemmy Majodina and Minister of Minerals and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe.
Of the three, Steenhusen was the worst offender, requesting that four appointees not meet the Public Service Act.
Steenhuisen’s appointments since joining the cabinet have raised many eyebrows, including the placement of a controversial podcaster as his chief of staff. He has since tried to hit reverse on this.
Mantashe asked for two deviations, while Majodina asked for one.
All requests were rejected by Buthelezi.
All the reasons for each case since 3 July 2024 can be found below:
# | Portfolio | Requests | Reasons for rejection: |
1 | Minister of Agriculture | 4 | Minimum Qualifications (3) Years of Experience (1) |
2 | Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources | 2 | Minimum Qualifications (2) |
3 | Minister of Water and Sanitation | 1 | Minimum Qualifications (1) |
“While RISE Mzansi accepts that appointments to Ministerial Offices are the prerogative of Ministers and Deputy Ministers, given the unique political and operational needs of these offices, we nonetheless commend Minister Buthelezi’s decision,” said Gana.
“This is the right step towards professionalising the public sector. It also sends a signal to unemployed graduates and suitably qualified and skilled professionals that they matter.”
Unqualified Ministers
South Africa may have a new coalition government, but there are still questions about some Ministers and their qualifications.
Following the 2024 National and Provincial elections, the ANC lost its majority in parliament for the first time in the democratic era.
The ANC thus created a Government of National Unity (GNU), with the DA, IFP, PA, FF+, PAC, and GOOD receiving cabinet positions. Rise Mzansi received no cabinet roles but did charge the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA).
The education levels of the new ministers varied substantially, even across party lines.
South Africa’s education system follows the National Qualifications Framework (NQF):
- Matric (NQF 4)
- Higher certificate + Advanced Certificate (NQF 5)
- National Diploma (NQF 6)
- Bachelor’s Degree (NQF 7)
- Honours Degree and Postgraduate Diploma (NQF 8)
- Master’s Degree (NQF 9)
- PhD (NQF 10)
Notably, Steenhuisen was one of three Ministers that BusinessTech found to have only a matric, alongside Public Works and Infrastructure’s Dean Macpherson (DA) and Sports, Arts and Culture’s Gayton Mckenzie (PA)
On the other end of the scale, several ministers have PhDs, such as Home Affairs’ Leon Schreiber (DA), Correctional Services’s Pieter Groenewald (FF Plus) and Electricity and Energy’s Kgosientsho Ramokgopa (ANC).