Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa answers questions in the national council of provinces (Photo: Elmond Jiyane/GCIS)
Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa says the size and composition of the executive council must be guided by the needs of the country.
“At this moment in our country’s history, where we have urgent development needs, where we must undo the devastating legacy of apartheid, we need an active and capable development state,” he said in response to a question from the FF Plus in the national council of provinces.
“We need a state that has the resources and ability to tackle challenges such as poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, a lack of social infrastructure and a large disease burden. At the same time, available resources must be taken into account. Where it is possible to rationalize ministers, departments and other state entities without affecting the outcome, we must do so.”
The president says that with the start of this administration in 2019, the number of ministers has been reduced from 34 to 28. “We have combined a number of ministries, for example to combine trade and industry with economic development; higher education and training with science and technology; environmental affairs with forestry and fisheries; agriculture with land reform and rural development, and so on. We must recognize that a country’s needs change over time and that we must learn from experience.”
Ramaphosa says the two new ministers he announced earlier this month will respond to specific needs the country is currently experiencing.
“As I explained in the state of the nation speech: we need a minister who can coordinate and manage our response to the power crisis. This is a temporary position and the minister will only remain in this position as long as it is necessary to resolve the crisis.
“The second new minister for planning, monitoring and evaluation stems from a realization that we need a dedicated focus to make sure that the government effectively implements the programs that form the basis of our priorities and is able to tackle problems such as what it prevents.”
The president says it is not necessary for any of these ministers to get their own departments. “The Minister of Electricity will work with the relevant departments and entities to implement the energy action plan; and the minister of planning, monitoring and evaluation will be responsible for the existing department of planning, monitoring and evaluation.”
The president says his cabinet is continuing the process of building a capable state with entities that add value to the government’s plan of action. “In all this work we rely on evidence, experience and available resources. We agree that we must have an efficient and flexible government, but if we focus too much on the number of people, we can lose sight of the point of having a capable state in the first place.”
