THE EFF, African Transformation Movement (ATM), ActionSA and other parties have reacted strongly to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s bloated Cabinet which was unveiled on Sunday.
The Cabinet of the Government of National Unity (GNU) also received mixed reaction from labour federations.
The new Cabinet, which now has 32 ministries, consists of separated portfolios that include justice and constitutional development from correctional services; and agriculture from land reform and rural development; as well as agriculture and land reform ministries, with electricity and energy now merged under one minister.
EFF national spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys said: “The EFF has noted the announcement by Cyril Ramaphosa of what is essentially an ANC-DA Cabinet, confirming our long-standing view that the ‘Government of National Unity’ was nothing but a smokescreen for the ANC to secure a predetermined grand coalition with the racist DA.
“It is even more concerning that this Cabinet has been increased and bloated, signalling more pressure on taxpayers to allow for the accommodation of racists and their policies in high positions of power.”
The ATM through its spokesperson Zama Ntshona said: “As the African Transformation Movement, we acknowledge the recent Cabinet announcement of the Grand Coalition Government led by Mr Ramaphosa and his associates.
“We are relieved that the prolonged power struggle for positions has finally come to an end, as many South Africans continue to endure the hardships of poverty.
“However, we want to emphasise the urgent need for a comprehensive programme of emancipation that will ensure the holistic liberation of the masses in our country. This programme must prioritise the active and meaningful economic participation of the historically marginalised South Africans, particularly the black majority, who have been disadvantaged in their ancestral land.
“We firmly reject any DA-sponsored reversal of the gains achieved over the past 30 years, and we stand against any scrapping of redress policies that may be in the pipeline.“
Hope4SA spokesperson John Mathuhle said it was concerned by the big changes to some of the ministries which had resulted in a bloated Cabinet.
“The bloated Cabinet remains one of the biggest problems in streamlining the government’s top-heavy structure and cutting government expenditure. South Africa’s Cabinet has 32 ministers and 43 deputies to 28 in the previous Cabinet, which is significantly larger than other countries,” said Mathuhle.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba also slammed the Cabinet, saying it would cost South Africans more to maintain it.
“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.
The Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) said the latest changes in the structure of the Cabinet favoured political parties’ interests rather than the interests of all South Africans.
Fedusa said: “The recent changes in the Cabinet seem to favour political pry interests within the Government of National Unity than addressing the urgent needs of of South Africans. Prioritising party agendas over welfare is a disservice to the people of South Africa.
“Fedusa has noted the inclusion of professionally qualified Cabinet members, including young people. However, merit does not appear to have been overarching motivation for all these appointments.”
Speaking to The Star on Monday, political analyst Dr Onga Mtimka said the new Cabinet was a reflection of the compromises the ANC made.
“To me the Cabinet reflects the compromise. We know the uproar that was there when the DA wanted to have exclusive DA-led ministries and how the ultimate seat allocation depart from that idea. We know how they wanted the old ministers to lead some of the portfolios they ended up deputising and we know that that was not given. Lastly, we known that numerically, they had a legitimate claim on the greater share of the seats in Cabinet. But the Cabinet allocation is a give and take which reflects compromises both on the part of the DA and the ANC and to some limited extent on the part of the ANC as well,“ he said.
The Star