Time for Ramaphosa to appoint a lean and effective Cabinet

28 May 2019

Once would-be Deputy President David Mabuza is sworn in as a Member of Parliament, President Cyril Ramaphosa can stop stalling and appoint his new Cabinet which needs to get the country working and create jobs for the 10 million unemployed South Africans.

The continued uncertainty over the makeup of the new Cabinet does not bode well for investor confidence and the Rand has already been affected by the uncertainty surrounding the overdue announcement.

President Ramaphosa has, in line with the DA’s 15-Ministries Plan, in the past, committed himself to rooting out corruption and to appointing a leaner and more efficient Cabinet.  The President will have the full support of the Democratic Alliance (DA) if he appoints ministers who are competent, effective and beyond reproach.

Those who believe in Cabinet being a status symbol will only hold back efforts to build one South Africa for all. The country needs women and men in Cabinet who realise that holding the title of “Minister” is a call to serve all the people of South Africa.

By slashing the bloated Cabinet to 15 ministries, the country would save almost R5 billion each year. Our economy is stagnant, and our people do not have jobs. A leaner, efficient and service-orientated government can focus its efforts on delivering services and creating an environment for economic growth and job creation.

President Ramaphosa must also commit his government to economic reform. Our country requires liberalised labour legislation which empowers small business, boost tourism and attracts foreign investment in order to drive job creation.

In addition to this, the public education system requires teachers who are properly assessed, trained and incentivised so that our children get the best education, are innovative and have the skills they need to get a job.

Crime-fighting and corruption-busting must be a focus of the new Cabinet. Provinces must be empowered to administer their own police resources and the Department of State Security must be professionalised and focused on ensuring the nation’s security and fighting corruption rather than ANC factional battles.

The new Cabinet must also prioritise fixing Eskom and its mountain of debt - which remains the biggest risk to our fiscus.

A mere rejig of Eskom into three entities will not be enough to stabilise the entity. Eskom needs is a complete overhaul. The DA will, therefore, re-table our Independent Systems Market Operator (ISMO) Bill, known as the Cheaper Energy Bill. The bill seeks to break Eskom into two separate entities and ultimately break its monopolistic grip over electricity generation and distribution.

The ball is now in President Ramaphosa’s court to promptly appoint a lean and effective Cabinet that is committed to job creation, economic reform and building One South Africa for All.

Again, when the President works to put the country and her people first, he will have the support of the DA.

Issued by Solly Malatsi, DA National Spokesperson, 28 May 2019